Why did Typhoon Tembin kill so many people in the Philippines?

The tropical storm that struck the southern Philippines quickly killed more than 180 people after landing on Mindanao Island, not to mention countless missing people.

According to the government, the number of fatal victims concentrated in Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte and Lanao del Sur areas and increased the most in the night of 22/12.

Many people have not anticipated the strength of the storm - (Photo: Reuters).

The number increased rapidly when rescuers found dozens of bodies being carried by the Salog River in Lanao del Norte province."The river rises and sweeps away most houses," said police officer Gerry Parami in Tupod town.

Tembin stormed the Philippines' second largest island on December 22, causing a series of flash floods and landslides, even where a village was buried. According to media, although the Philippines suffers from dozens of storms each year, Mindanao's 20 million people rarely have to deal with storms.

Some areas are particularly disturbing, such as the poor Zamboanga Peninsula, where at least three towns are flooded. At least 28 people were confirmed dead but 81 were still missing."It is possible that they did not attach importance to warnings from local authorities" about the risk of flooding - the mayor Norbideiri Edding of Sibuco said on a local radio station. "I hope they are still alive" - he added.

Similarly, Sheriff Wilson Mislores of Salvador's Lanao del Norte town said: "People have been warned. But because we rarely get attacked by storms, people living near the rivers often do not listen. seriously warning ".

Residents struggle with flash floods in Lanao del Norte - (Photo: Reuters).

Meanwhile, casualty reports are updated very slowly from power outages or storm interruptions.

Police, soldiers and volunteers are searching for victims in buried villages, but the rescue process is slow due to landslides. The Philippine government announced it would support affected areas but the Council for Disaster Risk Management and Mitigation said the situation was " extremely challenging".

Typhoon Tembin landed in the Philippines just a week after typhoon Kai-Tak killed 54 people, 24 went missing in the central region.

Rescuers evacuate people in Cagayan de Oro City - Photo: Reuters.

This massive Tempest storm caused at least 21 flights at the international airport in Manila to be canceled, mainly domestic flights with affected areas. According to Philippine port authorities, more than 6,000 passengers have been stranded at many ports across the country.

In 2013, the super typhoon Haiyan claimed the lives of 8,000 people and made about 200,000 people fall into the sky.