At least seven people killed and two missing Saturday after typhoon Goni hits the northern Philippines with strong rain and winds that triggered landslides and flooding, authorities said in a report.
Advertisement
While the shot of Goni making landfall in Taiwan has lessened, the hurricane will convey overwhelming downpours to the majority of the island Saturday and Sunday, with rugged regions in eastern Hualien and Yilan provinces anticipated that would see exuberant storms.
A Reuters report added that even though the typhoon had weakened on Saturday, it still packed sustained winds of over 93 miles per hour (150 km/hr) and gusts of up to 115 miles per hour (185 km/hr).
Goni was forecast to graze the Batanes islands off the Philippines’ northern tip on Saturday morning on its way to Taiwan, according to the Filipino weather bureau.
Typhoon Goni will be passing east of Taiwan and head toward Okinawa, Japan, early next week. Before the typhoon hit land, it had already caused torrential rainfall in the region causing landslides and mudslides.
Among the dead were two brothers who died when a landslide buried a temporary shelter where they took cover in Bakun town in the mountain province of Benguet.
Fongwan said two bodies were recovered Friday in the nearby town of Itogon. The exact number of people in the shanties have not been ascertained yet and the number of casualties is expected to rise.
In adjacent Mountain province, a 10-year-old boy was buried by a landslide.
Four people were missing in the provinces of Abra and Ilocos Norte after they were swept away by flood waters. The identities of the two have not been confirmed.
Advertisement
Workers (bottom R) use heavy equipment to try and clear debris and soil after a mountainside eroded due to heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Goni, along Kennon Road, a main road leading into the Philippine city of Baguio on August 22, 2015. Normal operations are expected to begin once the strong winds subside.
