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The tropical storm has already forced the displacement of more than 200,000 people and there are more than 200 injured
At least 121 people have dead in landslides and floods caused by the first tropical storm of the year in the Philippines, baptized as ‘Megi’, which has caused the displacement of more than 200,000 residents, as announced by the authorities. Specifically, most of the deaths occurred in Baybay City, in Leyte province, 599 kilometers south of Manila, where about 81 bodies were recovered from landslides caused by the floods.
In the latest balance of victims, the Philippine authorities have reported that 31 people have died as a result of these landslides, as well as by floods, in the nearby city of Abuyog, according to the Police. Another nine deaths have been recorded from six provinces affected by tropical storm ‘Megi’, which hit the eastern coast of the Philippines on April 10, bringing torrential rain, according to the National Disaster Agency.
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In addition, more than 240 people have been injured, while some 204,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes as floodwaters have swept away Filipino villages and mountains have collapsed on cities. According to Philippine authorities, rescue teams continue to search for an unknown number of missing people in Baybay and Abuyog. The storm has damaged homes, crops, livestock, and infrastructure worth an estimated $2.6 million.
The Philippine archipelago is hit by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year. The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 6,300 people and displaced more than 4 million in November 2013.