Typhoon Bopha hits the Philippines, two dead and more than 40 thousand displaced
Manila (AsiaNews
/ Agencies) - Two people have died and more than 40 thousand have been
displaced so far in the provisional toll from Typhoon Bopha in the southern
Philippines. Many
have sought refuge in shelters to escape the strongest cyclone to hit the
archipelago in 2012. This
morning, rain and strong winds - with gusts up to 210 km / h - hit the island
of Mindanao, many areas are flooded and without electricity, connections are
down and there is a real risk of landslides and floods.
One
of the two known victims named Erlinda Balante, was 60 years old and was
originally from Manay, Eastern Davao, the woman was struck by a tree felled by
strong winds, and died of her injuries. The
latter was reported in Panaon, Eastern Misamis, 30 year old Roger Gumunit hit
by another tree while on his motorcycle.
Yesterday,
President Benigno Aquino urged people to caution during the passage of typhoon
Bopha, renamed Pablo in the Philippines. "It
could be the most devastating - warned the head of state - to befall the nation
this year." However,
he added, it is possible to "limit the damage and loss of life if we help
each other."
Bopha
(whose amplitude reaches 600 km) is heading westward at a speed of 26 km / h
and by the 6 December should reach the waters of the South China Sea. The
authorities continue to closely monitor the evolution of the situation, at the
same time issuing a ban on sailing off the coast of Visayas and Mindanao, some
airports in the south are also closed.
Every
year, the Philippine archipelago is hit by the passage of at least 20 typhoons,
some of them of a devastating nature. Bopha is the 16th
to affect the Philippines in 2012. In
August there were a hundred deaths and a million displaced by a series of
violent storms. In
2011 there were 19 typhoons, 10 of high intensity: the death toll reached 1,500
mostly caused by Typhoon Washi (see AsiaNews 20/12/2011 Typhoon
Washi, Manila declares a national emergency. First burials en masse).
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