Manila: Typhoon Kalmaegi, which slammed into the Philippines overnight, has killed at least one person and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. It is expected to make landfall in Vietnam in the next two days.
According to Thai News Agency, Philippine officials stated that Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in central Philippines overnight, resulting in the death of at least one person, a resident of southern Leyte province, who drowned. The province experienced widespread power outages, with some homes being flattened and trees and billboards toppled.
Prior to landfall, disaster officials reported that more than 150,000 people in eastern provinces had evacuated to safety. Authorities issued warnings of heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surges. The coast guard announced that inter-island passenger ferries and fishing boats were grounded due to rough seas, which left over 3,500 passengers and truck drivers stranded at nearly 100 ports. Additionally, more than 160 domestic flights were canceled.
Typhoon Kalmaegi is currently moving northwest, and the meteorological department has issued a dangerous weather warning for most areas in the Visayas region, which are under a level two severe storm warning. The storm is anticipated to move into the South China Sea this afternoon or tomorrow, making landfall in central Vietnam between November 6-7. It is then expected to weaken into a depression and a strong low-pressure area before moving into northeastern Thailand around November 7.