Typhoon Mangkhut triggers landslide in Philippines, burying dozens in chapel

The huge storm skirted south of Hong Kong and neighboring gambling hub of Macau and has made landfall in China.</s>The whir of choppers and the buzz of chain saws were all that was heard on Monday near the mining town of Itogon as workers looking for bodies dug through the mud using shovels and their bare hands — the ground too wet for heavy machinery.

Francis Tolentino, a senior adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, estimated that nationwide 5.7 million people had been affected by the storm, which hit the country at the height of its powers, with wind speeds topping 150 miles per hour.

The authorities said the prospectors, some of whom are believed to be children, were working illegally at the mine site, which was shut down in the 1990s amid concerns of environmental degradation.

After Benguet Corp., the company that previously operated the mine, halted operations, thousands of individuals flocked to the site, known as Antamok, to work the tunnels started by the company.

“Before Ompong came, I asked them to leave,” Victorio Palangdan, the mayor of Itogon, said of the miners, using Typhoon Mangkhut’s local name. He said the workers at the camp told him that they had permission from Benguet Corp. to work the abandoned mine, a claim the company denied.

By some estimates, as many as 400,000 small-scale miners operate throughout the Philippines, digging in areas where such activity is outlawed and using banned toxic substances, including mercury, to process their finds.

Mr. Duterte inspected part of the disaster area on Sunday, and met with top officials in Tuguegarao City for a televised briefing on the damage and the recovery effort.

“I share the grief of those who lost their loved ones,” the president said.

At least 4 dead in China</s>TUGUEGARAO, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police director says death toll from Typhoon Mangkhut has risen to 25, mostly due to landslides.</s>MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities began evacuating thousands of people Thursday from the path of the most powerful typhoon this year, closing schools, readying bulldozers for landslides and placing rescuers and troops on full alert in the country's north.

More than 4 million people live in areas at most risk from the storm, which the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii categorized as a super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts.

Typhoon Mangkhut could hit northeastern Cagayan province on Saturday. It was tracked on Thursday about 450 miles away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 127 miles per hour and gusts of up to 158 mph, Philippine forecasters said.

With a massive raincloud band 560 miles wide, combined with seasonal monsoon rains, the typhoon could bring heavy to intense rains that could set off landslides and flash floods, the forecasters said. Storm warnings have been raised in 25 provinces across the main northern island of Luzon, restricting sea and air travel.

Office of Civil Defense chief Ricardo Jalad told an emergency meeting led by President Rodrigo Duterte that about 4.2 million people in Cagayan, nearby Isabela province and outlying provincial regions are vulnerable to the most destructive effects near the typhoon's 77-mile-wide eye. Nearly 48,000 houses in those high-risk areas are made of light materials and vulnerable to Mangkhut's ferocious winds.

Across the north on Thursday, residents covered glass windows with wooden boards, strengthened houses with rope and braces and moved fishing boats to safety.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said by telephone that evacuations of residents from risky coastal villages and island municipalities north of the rice-and corn-producing province of 1.2 million people have started and school classes at all levels have been canceled.

"The weather here is still good but we're moving them now because it's very important that when it comes, people will be away from peril," Mamba said.

A change in the typhoon's track prompted authorities to rapidly reassess where to redeploy emergency teams and supplies, Mamba said.

Duterte asked Cabinet officials from the north to help oversee disaster-response work if needed, and told reporters it was too early to consider seeking foreign aid.

"It would depend on the severity of the crisis," Duterte said. "If it flattens everything, maybe we need to have some help."

The typhoon is approaching at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, and farmers were scrambling to save what they could of their crops, Mamba said. The threat to agriculture comes as the Philippines tries to cope with rice shortages.

Officials said other northern provinces started evacuating residents Thursday from high-risk areas, including in northern mountain provinces prone to landslides.

Duterte canceled his appearance at a missile test firing aboard a navy ship off northern Bataan province due to the approaching typhoon.

On Guam, where Mangkhut already passed, residents dealt with flooded streets, downed trees and widespread power outages. Government agencies were conducting damage assessments and clearing roads, according to the Pacific Daily News.

About 80 percent of the U.S. territory was without power but it was restored by Thursday morning.

Mangkhut, a Thai word for the mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over 5 million in the central Philippines in 2013.</s>Humanity & Inclusion's teams are preparing for the aftermath of Super Typhoon Mangkhut, which is set to make landfall in the Philippines on Friday, September 14. Thousands of people are likely to be affected by the storm.

Formed in the western Pacific, Super Typhoon Mangkhut has been rated category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of up to 186 miles per hour. "Although natural disasters are a regular occurrence in the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda is still fresh in people’s minds, and they’re afraid of this new super typhoon," Reiza Dejito, Director of HI in the Philippines says. "They’re preparing for it, including by stockpiling food. They fear another disaster."

HI’s teams have worked in the Philippines for more than 30 years and are preparing to respond to the needs of affected people in the event of an emergency.

"Following a typhoon, there is always a risk of floods and landslides," Reiza adds. "They can kill and injure lots of people, and cut them off from the rest of the world.

"Our emergency coordinator assesses the situation every six hours and informs the teams. In the event of a disaster or serious damage, HI could make assessments to identify the worst-hit areas and assist affected populations by distributing kits of essential items, such as blankets, plastic sheets and cooking utensils, and provide the injured with rehabilitation care, psychological support, and other forms of assistance."

HI regularly works with people affected by natural disasters in the Philippines, including by enhancing the disaster preparedness and resilience of communities. Among other activities, we launched a large-scale response following the passage of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which affected more than 14 million people and claimed more than 6,000 lives. Learn more about our work in the Philippines.</s>The number of people killed in the Philippines by typhoon Mangkhut rose to 25 on Sunday while dozens are missing, according to provisional data gathered as emergency teams access areas struck by the storm.

Presidential adviser Francis Tolentino, sent by President Rodrigo Duterte to monitor the response to the disaster in affected areas, confirmed these figures to reporters in Cagayan province, where the season's most powerful typhoon entered the country on Saturday morning.</s>At least 40 people, mostly gold miners, are feared to have been trapped in a landslide in The Philippines – and seven bodies have already been dug out by rescuers, police say.

Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio said that part of a mountain slope collapsed on the miners’ bunkhouses in a far-flung village of Itogon town in Benguet province as Typhoon Mangkhut’s ferocious winds and rain pounded the gold-mining region on Saturday.

Mr Tacio, who was at the scene of the landslide, says rescuers found another man, but could not immediately retrieve his body – which was pinned by rocks and mud.</s>As the Philippines recovers from Category 5 Super Typhoon Mangkhut, police estimated the first unofficial death toll at about 66, reported the New York Times. The number is expected to rise as emergency workers continue to recover bodies.

Known locally as Ompong, the typhoon made landfall on September 14 in the Philippines.

Over 40 bodies were found following a landslide in a remote town for gold miners in Itogon in the northern island of Luzon, with dozens more missing and presumed dead, said the Guardian. Families, including children, had taken shelter in a bunkhouse converted to a chapel when part of the mountain collapsed into the building.

Nearly 300 rescuers worked with bare hands and shovels to find the bodies. Along with police and military, geologists and engineers provided support. Muddy ground and damaged roads prevented the use of heavy machinery or other technology to aid in the process.

Relatives gathered around the site, hoping to find any survivors.

“I am 99% sure they are dead,” said Victorio Palangdan, mayor of Itogon.

The workers were allegedly residing illegally in the area after the mine was closed in the 1990s. While mayor Palandgan claims the workers had permission to work in the area, the mine company, Benguet Corp., denied any knowledge of the workers, the New York Times reported.

Mudslides throughout the country caused more damage along with wind and rain, affecting about 5.7 million people, estimates the Guardian. Damage assessments are ongoing, but it may be weeks until a full analysis is complete.

Power outages in Manila, the capital, resulted in loss of communication for millions.

According to the Telegraph, the majority of people affected by the typhoon in the Philippines reside in poverty. About 1.4 million are farmers, with an additional 100,000 fishermen. With crops flooded only weeks before harvest season, these communities may continue to suffer long after the typhoon has passed with rebuilding efforts midst food and water shortages.

Super Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda, had hit the Philippines in 2013 and displaced nearly 4 million people and resulted in 6,000 deaths, CNN reported. While this typhoon did not cause nearly as much damage, it’s power was notable.

With sustaining winds as high as 170 miles per hour, typhoon Mangkhut was 75 miles higher than Hurricane Florence, reported the Wall Street Journal. Totaling a width of about 550 miles, it was the most powerful storm of 2018.

Mangkhut ripped across Southeast Asia, slamming the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The weakened storm continued into China, where it killed four people.

Macau reported 40 injured and no fatalities. Security secretary Wong Sio-Chak attributed the lack of damage to better preparation than previous years, according to Macau Business.</s>At least 40 people, mostly gold miners, are feared to have been trapped in a landslide in The Philippines – and seven bodies have already been dug out by rescuers, police say.

Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio said that part of a mountain slope collapsed on the miners’ bunkhouses in a far-flung village of Itogon town in Benguet province as Typhoon Mangkhut’s ferocious winds and rain pounded the gold-mining region on Saturday.</s>A mountain slope collapsed in the province of Benguet sparking the landslide trapping 40 people who are believed to be local gold miners.

Rescuers raced to save lives but it is feared that the death toll could even rise.

Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio said rescuers were unable to save one man due to mud and rocks blocking accesss.

It is the latest incident caused by the typhoon which has already killed at least 29 people in the Philippines with its winds of 130mph.
In the Philippines, Typhoon Mangkhut triggers a landslide in Itogon, Benguet, with more than 40 bodies found.