Philippines: Super typhoon Fung-wong leaves several dead

Houses in the Philippine province of Cagayan are almost completely underwater. On Sunday evening (local time), Fung-wong made landfall on the main island of Luzon, causing severe flooding and landslides. The typhoon's radius covered almost the entire island nation — from Cagayan in the far north to the island of Catanduanes, more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) to the south.

Thanks to precautionary measures, the Philippines got off more lightly than initially feared. More than 1.4 million people were evacuated as a preventive measure. Nevertheless, at least four people died, including two children, the national disaster management agency announced on Monday. Overall, however, the death toll is expected to remain "minimal."

A mudslide buried a house and killed two children in the northern town of Kayapa. On Sunday, the body of a 64-year-old woman was recovered from underneath rubble and fallen trees in Catbalogan City. According to the disaster management agency, one person drowned on the island of Catanduanes as a result of flash flooding. At least two other people were injured.

At times, more than 150 cities across the country were without power, and in the city of Dipaculao, power was still out on Monday morning. Over 1,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, and several bridges were impassable. Schools and government offices remained closed at the beginning of the week, and over 400 domestic and international flights were canceled.

In many places, the extent of the damage was still unclear, but the initial clean-up work was already underway. Meanwhile, Fung-wong, known as Uwan in the Philippines, has weakened and moved away from the islands toward Taiwan. The typhoon is continuing to weaken as it moves toward the South China Sea, according to the state weather service.

Fung-wong reached the Philippines while the country was still struggling with the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 224 people last week. According to official figures, 109 people were still missing over the weekend. Here on the island of Cebu, the floods swept away cars, huts, and huge shipping containers. Kalmaegi then moved on to Vietnam.

According to the weather service, Fung-wong reached gusts of over 230 kilometers per hour (143 mph) when the storm made landfall. Meteorologists say it is the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in years. On average, around 20 tropical cyclones pass over the island nation each year.