Super typhoon kills 12 in Philippines, takes aim at Hong Kong | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Super typhoon kills 12 in Philippines, takes aim at Hong Kong

ByReuters, Benguet/hong Kong
Oct 21, 2016 10:43 AM IST

In Cagayan, where the super typhoon made landfall on Wednesday with destructive 225 kph (140 mph) winds and heavy rain, between 50,000-60,000 hectares of rice fields were flattened and flooded.

Typhoon Haima, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines in three years, killed at least 12 people and inundated vast tracts of rice and corn fields, officials in Manila said on Friday, before it took aim at Hong Kong.

Residents wait for their turn to cross a river after a bridge was destroyed by super typhoon Haima in a village in Penablanca town, Cagayan province, north of Manila on Friday.(AFP photo)
Residents wait for their turn to cross a river after a bridge was destroyed by super typhoon Haima in a village in Penablanca town, Cagayan province, north of Manila on Friday.(AFP photo)

Philippine authorities said they were assessing the extent of damage to infrastructure and crops, but confirmed that thousands of hectares of farmland were destroyed in northern provinces.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Eight of the victims were from the Cordillera region, said Ricardo Jalad, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, citing reports the agency received from provincial officials.

In Cagayan alone, where the super typhoon made landfall late on Wednesday with destructive 225 kph (140 mph) winds and heavy rain, between 50,000-60,000 hectares of rice fields were flattened and flooded, said the provincial governor Manuel Mamba.

Read| More than 90,000 people flee as Typhoon Haima slams northern Philippines

“It was like we were hit by another Yolanda,” he told a radio station, referring to the 2013 super typhoon known internationally as Haiyan which killed at least 6,000 people and destroyed billions of pesos worth of property.

Hong Kong shut all but essential services in the global financial hub as the storm approached.

“According to the present forecast track, Haima will be closest to Hong Kong around noon, skirting about 100 km (62 miles) to the east of the territory,” said the observatory on its website.

“This means that winds with mean speeds of 63 kmh (40 mph) or more are expected from the northwest quarter.”

Flights and train services have been cancelled in and out of the city.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On