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Typhoon Goni: Gusts of 190mph leaves 20 people dead in the Philippines

Around 90% of the infrastructure on the island of Catanduanes was damaged by the typhoon as it brought floods and mudslides.

Monday 2 November 2020 13:54, UK

A man sits beside a car, washed away by floods caused by Typhoon Goni in the Philippines
Image: A man sits beside a car, washed away by floods caused by Typhoon Goni in the Philippines
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A super typhoon which hit the Philippines has left 20 people dead and damaged thousands of homes and buildings.

Three people are still missing after gusts reached up to 190mph (306kph) as Typhoon Goni made landfall at the weekend, battering provinces south of the capital Manila and bringing flooding and mudslides.

A woman inside a house after floods caused by Typhoon Goni left severe damage
Image: A woman inside a house after floods caused by the typhoon left severe damage to buildings

Goni, which is the world's strongest typhoon of the year so far, damaged 13,000 homes in several towns on the island of Catanduanes, with some being engulfed by a 16-foot-high (5m) storm surge.

The authorities said the island, which is home to 275,000 people, had briefly been cut off with its communication and power lines down.

Around 90% of the infrastructure in Catanduanes was damaged by the typhoon, according to government data.

Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon said in a statement "this typhoon has smashed into people's lives and livelihoods on top of the relentless physical, emotional and economic toll of COVID-19."

In Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, officials said more than 300,000 people were still in evacuation centres while 50,000 homes had been left without power.

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Three people are still reported missing in provinces south of Luzon with rescue efforts being hampered by severed communications.

A man looks at his belongings which have been covered in mud following floods caused by the typhoon
Image: A man looks at his belongings which have been covered in mud following floods caused by the typhoon

There were also reports from the authorities that around 300 houses in the province of Albay in the Bicol Region were thought to be buried under rock and mud which had flowed away from the Mayon volcano.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made an aerial inspection on Monday of the havoc left by Goni, which is the 18th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year and one of the strongest since Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people in the country in 2013.

A man cleans a house covered in mud following floods caused by Typhoon Goni
Image: A man cleans a house covered in mud after flooding caused by Typhoon Goni

Before Goni arrived, the Philippines had been dealing with the impact of Typhoon Molave, which killed 22 people at the end of last month.

Another storm, Atsani, is currently gaining strength in the Pacific Ocean as it approaches the Philippines.

Goni, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, is forecast to hit Vietnam on Wednesday night with more heavy rain expected in an area where floods and landslides in the past month have killed about 160 people.

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