Big storm struck the Philippines, 74 people were killed

Dozens of villagers and soldiers drowned yesterday when the flood of the biggest storm of the year poured down a storm shelter and barracks in southern Philippines. The death toll is up to 74 people.

The governor of the Compostela Valley province, Artuno Uy, said heavy rains in Bopha storm accumulated on a mountain peak then crashed into Andap village in New Bataan town. The victims include evacuated villagers from homes to avoid storms at schools and village halls. An army truck carrying soldiers and villagers was swept away, said Uy and military officials.

"They think they have evacuated to a safe area but they do not know that the water will flow down that road," AP quoted Uy as saying.

He also confirmed that the number of deaths is likely to increase because many bodies have not yet been found in the ruins of houses and trees because of the destructive power of the storm.

Workers cleaned up the pile of fallen trees because of typhoon Bopha in the city
Tagum, Davao Oriental Province, southern Mindanao Island. (Photo: AFP)

In Davao Oriental province, 23 others, including 3 children, drowned or collapsed houses and fallen trees in the coastal town of Cateel, governor Corazon Malanyaon said. A few towns in the province were heavily damaged, the houses were completely destroyed.

Typhoon Bopha landed in southern Philippines early on December 4, with winds of 140km / h, even up to 170km / h, speeding the roof, knocking down trees and causing widespread rain in the lowland. Strong storms also cause landslides and floods across mountainous and midland areas.

All of the two provinces mentioned above have lost power, more than 100 domestic flights have to cancel flights. About 60,000 people are evacuated from their homes.

The Philippines often suffers from about 20 storms each year, but the southern part of the island rarely has to catch big storms like the Bopha, but storms often land in northern and central Philippines. The rare storm that landed in the south of the country last December also killed more than 1,200 people and displaced many people, including the city of Cagayan de Oro affected by the storm this time.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III appeared on national television on December 3, warning people to evacuate and appreciate the authorities' storm warnings. At Compostela Valley, mining operations were halted to prevent landslides and collapse mines that were as deadly as in the previous storm.

The name of the storm Bopha is in Cambodian, the name of a flower or a girl. Bopha is the 16th storm to enter the Philippines this year. Meteorologists say at least one more storm will hit the country before Christmas.