Typhoon Tino kills at least 3 people

THE DEATH toll from Typhoon Kal-maegi, locally called Tino, continued to climb on Tuesday as disaster officials receive initial reports from affected provinces after the powerful storm unleashed heavy rains and floods across the central Philippines, submerging homes and forcing thousands to evacuate.

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Three people were confirmed dead and at least one person was reported missing in the central province of Cebu, provincial information officer Ainjeliz Orong said. Two more deaths were still being verified.

“We weren’t expecting this much flooding,” Ms. Orong said by phone.

In neighboring Bohol province, one person was killed after being struck by a falling tree, disaster official Anthony Damalerio told DZMM radio.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Junie B. Castillo in a phone call to reporters said that the agency has received reports that the death toll has risen to 26.

“22 were from Central Visayas, two from NIR (Negros Island Region), one from Region 6, and one from Region 8,” he said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, more than 187,000 were affected by Typhoon Kalmaegi as it continued to batter large parts of Visayas and neighboring areas, the state disaster agency reported on Tuesday.

In its 12 p.m. situational report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 187,536 individuals were affected by the typhoon, with 122,519 currently staying inside evacuation centers.