Two brothers employed as construction workers died in a landslide triggered by Typhoon Goni – locally named “Ineng” – in Gambang village, Benguet province, ABS-CBN News reported.
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A taxi driver was killed by a falling tree abd the passenger was injured in nearby Ilocos Norte province, provincial police spokesman Leonardo Tolentino said. Roughly 1,200 people had been evacuated by Saturday, the report said. “We’ve been hit hard by rains”.
Other casualties were swept by rampaging rivers, landslides and a tornado, officials said.
“And Goni has been in the ideal location to increase the southwest monsoon, known as the habagat, helping to spawn even more thunderstorms well away from the eye of the typhoon”, said weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. People were evacuated from outlying islands and troops are on standby for disaster relief as it takes precautions against strong winds and heavy rains expected this weekend, according to weather bureau.
That means northern and eastern Taiwan will bear the brunt of the storm, which is forecast to bring heavy to torrential rain whether or not the typhoon’s center makes landfall, Wu said. The popular tourist destination is still struggling to fix roads damaged by mudslides and the town remains cut off from regular water and power supplies. Some ferry services and domestic flights have been cancelled, but global flights have yet to be affected.
The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue warning for approaching Typhoon Goni on Saturday, the third-straight day of the alert.
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Winds of Beaufort 7 to 9 are expected in coastal areas of China’s Fujian, Taiwan and Diaoyu Islands as well as the southern part of the East China Sea.
