Uwan death toll climbs to 18, OCD says

TYPHOON Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, left at least 18 dead mainly due to landslides caused by heavy rains across Luzon and Visayas, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Tuesday.

- By Adrian H. Halili and Chloe Mari A. Hufana Reporters

OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV said that casualties were reported in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Bicol Region (Region 5), Western Visayas (Region 6), and Eastern Visayas (Region 8).

“There were three in Region 2, 12 in CAR mostly because of landslides, one in Region 5 due to drowning, one in Region 6 due to electrocution, and one in Region 8,” Mr. Alejandro told a livestreamed briefing.

He added that authorities have logged 28 injuries and two missing individuals due to the effects of storm surge.

The Philippines remains under a state of calamity after the twin storms left extensive damage across several regions.

The country was still reeling from the effects of Typhoon Kalmaegi (Local name: Tino), which claimed the lives of more than 200 individuals, when Uwan struck large parts of Luzon on Sunday evening.

Uwan, the 21* storm to hit the Philippines this year, caused widespread flooding, storm surges, strong winds and landslides over 6,900 local villages. It displaced 2.4 million individuals, with about 804,000 seeking refuge in evacuation centers.

Uwan, which reached super typhoon category, has since weakened as it traversed the rest of Luzon, exiting the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday, the state weather bureau reported.