Typhoon Quinta (international code name Molave) killed at least nine people and left 13 others missing in the Philippines, according to disaster-response officials, before heading over to the South China Sea on its way to Vietnam.
The storm affected more than 900,000 before exiting at about 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. It’s seen to further intensify over the sea and reach its peak within 24 hours, the weather bureau said.
The northern area of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, home to the country’s coffee producers, is forecast to receive as much as 200 millimeters of rain from Tuesday evening, according to a local meteorological center.
At least 9 people have been killed while 13 others are still missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Tuesday as officials continue to assess the damage brought by Typhoon Quinta.
NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal said two of the latest fatalities that were reported were a 60-year-old woman from Siaton and a man from Bindoy, both in Negros Oriental.
The Philippine National Police earlier reported that another victim was listed in the province of Cagayan.
On the other hand, 13 people, including 10 fishermen from Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Iloilo remained missing and are the subjects of ongoing search and rescue operations by the government.
Quinta pummeled the Bicol region and Southern Tagalog on Sunday evening and dumped heavy rains in other parts of Luzon on Monday, triggering flooding and landslides.
Among the provinces that experienced flooding are Apayao, Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Camarines Sur, Albay, Negros Occidental, Capiz and Samar.
On the other hand, landslides were reported in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon and Samar.
Timbal said that the typhoon initially affected at least 237,948 families or 914,709 persons, more than 77,000 of whom were evacuated to government-run shelters.
The NDRRMC spokesman said that officials are still assessing Quinta’s damage on agriculture and infrastructure.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) called on the government to act with dispatch and conduct a massive search and rescue operations for the 12 fishermen that went missing because of Typhoon Quinta.
According to the NDRRMC, the missing fishermen are from Barangays Pananogan, Bato; Cagdarao, Panganiban, District 3, and Gigmoto in Catanduanes.
Fernando Hicap, national chairman of Pamalakaya, said authorities must expedite the search and rescue operations to find the missing fishermen and return them to their respective families.
Hicap said the government should also provide aid to the families of the missing fishermen, as well as other families affected by the typhoon, as hundreds of them are left with no household incomes due to bad weather, particularly in Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Quezon province.
We demand relief for the victims’ families, as the fate of their loved ones, are still uncertain, Hicap added.
Hicap said the government should mobilize disaster and relief funds to rehabilitate Quinta-stricken coastal communities across the country.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes