JAKARTADAILY.ID – Tropical storm Megi hit the central regions of the Philippines this week. A landslide triggered by a hurricane killed 123 residents.
After an intensive search and evacuation, the bodies of many residents were found buried under landslides.
The Philippine Military Forces pledged to the public to continue search and rescue efforts, on Thursday, April 14, 2022.
Megi is the first typhoon this year to hit the Philippines. The archipelago of more than 7,600 islands annually experiences an average of 20 tropical storms.
86 of the victims were found in the mountainous Baybay area. The area, which is located in Leyte province, is known to be prone to landslides.
A tropical storm in Baybay also left 236 people injured. The local City Government reported shortly after the evacuation took place.
The Philippines National Disaster Agency reported that three other victims drowned in different provinces, while the remaining six people are still missing.
"Search, rescue and retrieval operations will continue," said the Philippine Army Infantry Unit at Baybay, via Facebook, quoted by pikiran-rakyat from Channel News Asia.
Aerial photos and video from local authorities show the collapsed slope. The ruins buried coconut plantations and houses until they sank into the mud.
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