Typhoon Kalmaegi hammered the Philippines on Tuesday, triggering massive flooding that submerged houses up to the roofs, swept away countless cars, and displaced thousands of villagers, killing at least 26, said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Tuesday.
OCD spokesperson Junie Castillo said that 22 of the deaths were reported in Central Visayas region, two in Negros Island region, one in Western Visayas region, and one in Eastern Visayas region.
The OCD said the victims were either swept away in floodwaters, pinned by fallen trees, or electrocuted.
A total of 380,000 people have been evacuated and resettled due to the typhoon, said the OCD.
Also on Tuesday, a Philippine military Super Huey helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao island in the southern Philippines while on a relief operation, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said. The official status of the five people on the helicopter has not yet been confirmed.
The immense volume and strong current of the floodwaters swallowed roads and streets in Central Visayas region. And a power blackout blanketed Siargao Island, one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, after strong, violent winds battered the island.
The state weather bureau warned that Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, which was moving northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour on Tuesday afternoon, will bring a storm surge of up to 3 meters.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines earlier said the typhoon forced airlines to cancel more than 100 flights.
Located along the Pacific typhoon belt, the Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons each year.
Typhoon Kalmaegi hits Philippines, killing at least 26
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' separatist moves to stoke cross-Strait hostility are unpopular and doomed to fail, said Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing on Wednesday.
Zhang made the comments at a regular press conference in response to a media query about recent inappropriate remarks by Chiu Chui-cheng, head of the so-called "mainland affairs council", regarding the Chinese mainland's policy of advancing high-quality cross-Strait integrated development".
"Our fellow Taiwan compatriots are our kith and kin. Over the years, acting on the principle that 'people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all of the same family', we have actively promoted cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, deepened the integrated development across various fields, and made steady progress in implementing policies that provide equal treatment to Taiwan compatriots. These efforts have continuously yielded new results, fully demonstrating our goodwill in seeking benefits for Taiwan compatriots and our sincerity in advancing the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations. Such endeavors have been met with strong support and wide acclaim from our Taiwan compatriots. Driven by its separatist pursuit of 'Taiwan secession', the DPP authorities are deeply fearful of closer ties between people across the Strait. They have deliberately fanned the flames of confrontation and antagonism, while resorting to slander and obstruction against anything that helps develop cross-Strait relations and benefits people on both sides. Such moves are deeply unpopular and are bound to fail," she said.
DPP's moves to stoke cross-Strait hostility unpopular, doomed to fail: spokeswoman
