At least 26 dead, thousands displaced as 'Tino' batters Visayas, Northern Mindanao

PAF aircraft on relief mission crashes in Agusan del Sur

- By MARTIN SADONGDONG, BETHEENA UNITE, AARON RECUENCO, ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

Typhoon "Tino" left at least 26 persons dead, most of them in Central Visayas (Region 7), and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes across the Visayas and parts of Northern Mindanao, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

There were 22 fatalities in Region 7, two in Negros Island Region (NIR), and one each in Western Visayas (Region 6) and Eastern Visayas (Region 8), said Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Junie Castillo.

Among those dead was a 52-year-old barangay tanod from Barangay Danao in Panglao, Bohol, who was killed after being struck by a falling coconut tree while attempting to cut it down for safety. He was rushed to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Medical Center but was declared dead on arrival.

"We have received an initial count of 26 dead. The details are still undergoing validation. Most of them were in Cebu province, many people drowned there," Castillo said, noting that aside from drowning, other fatalities were buried by landslides, hit by fallen debris, or electrocuted.

President Marcos has urged communities on the path of Typhoon Tino to be alert and heed the call of their local officials to keep the safe during the onslaught of the typhoon.

This as he assured the public that the government is continuously monitoring the impacts of the typhoon, which has so far affected 340,000 people in at least 1,397 villages in Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and the Negros Island Region.

Chopper crash

A helicopter believed to be one of the Philippine Air Force's (PAF) few remaining UH-1H Super Huey utility helicopters crashed on in Loreto, Agusan del Sur on Tuesday, Nov. 4, while conducting relief operations in areas affected by Typhoon "Tino."