Typhoon buffets Philippines, killing at least 8

MANILA, July 24 (Xinhua) — The Philippines has been buffeted by non-stop rains from the enhanced southwest monsoon brought by Typhoon Gaemi, which caused the Metro Manila Council to declare a state of calamity in National Capital Region on Wednesday.

DEATH TOLL
Police said at least eight people were killed as the typhoon hits the archipelago.
Four died in a landslide in Agoncillo town in Batangas province, south of Manila, which buried alive a pregnant woman, her nine-year-old daughter, and her two siblings aged 13 and 16.
Police also reported that a 46-year-old man was killed in Nasugbo town in Batangas province after he was pinned down by a tree felled by strong winds and heavy rains, and that another man was killed in Manila City due to electrocution.
Authorities further reported that two were killed in a landslide in Angeles City in Pampanga province, north of Manila. Two people are reportedly missing in Bataan province, west of Manila.
Rescuers have used boats to rescue residents trapped by floods in their homes.

DELUGE
Heavy rains have swept the Philippines. On social media, videos and images showed that in Manila some vehicles were floating like dead fish through the streets-turned-canals.
The widespread flooding, seven feet deep in some areas, forced the government to evacuate people near Manila Bay and rivers to safety and close schools and offices.
Metro Manila has been placed under the state of calamity, while local authorities have evacuated residents of coastal areas in the central and southern Philippine regions.
The deluge also caused power outages in some areas.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said several airports in Luzon have suspended operations due to bad weather. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 is closed and inaccessible due to flooding.

CONTINUE TO DUMP RAIN
The Philippines’ state weather bureau PAGASA said Gaemi will continue to dump rain on Wednesday and “flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible.”
It added that the southwest monsoon enhanced by Gaemi will bring moderate to intense rainfall in many areas in Luzon until Friday, as well as areas in the Visayas region in the central Philippines and northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
Gaemi, the third typhoon to batter the Philippines this year, is expected to leave the Philippines by Wednesday night or early Thursday.
An average of 20 typhoons lash the Philippines yearly.
The archipelago is prone to tropical cyclones which trigger heavy rains, flooding and strong winds, resulting in casualties and destruction of crops and properties. ■