Typhoon Bopha hits the Philippines, at least 270 dead
Workers clear a road with a fallen tree after Typhoon Bopha hit the city of Tagum, Davao del Norter province, on the southern island of Mindanao on December 4, 2012. Typhoon Bopha smashed into the southern Philippines early December 4, as more than 40,000 people crammed into shelters to escape the onslaught of the strongest cyclone to hit the country this year.
After Typhoon Bopha ravaged the Philippines Tuesday, at least 270 were reported dead Wednesday after the storm destroyed homes and brought down power lines, the Telegraph reported.
Flash floods and landslides caused by Bopha slammed a mining base area on Mindanao, sweeping water and soil through an army post, according to Reuters. A military spokesman said Tuesday that about 20 people, including six soldiers, were missing. A television reported also said she saw numerous bodies lined up near the base.
The Associated Press also reported that a Philippines governor said at least 43 villagers and soldiers had drowned when the typhoon dumped a torrent of water that rushed down a mountainside.
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Reuters noted that disaster official Liza Mazo said more casualties were expected as rescue teams continued their search. Wind gusts from Typhoon Bopha were traveling at a speed of up to 121 mph and made landfall at dawn, uprooting trees and tearing roofs off homes.
Millions of people, many living in remote and unprepared communities, were in the path of the storm when it hit, according to CNN.
"It really is getting to be a very, very big typhoon and it's just starting," Richard Gordon, the head of the Philippine Red Cross, told CNN. He also added that corrugated iron roofs on some buildings were being blown through the air like "flying machetes."
Officials said more than 41,000 people in areas prone to flooding have been moved to government shelters across Mindanao, reported Voice of America. At least eight municipalities are with power after officials cut electricity, and 80 domestic flights have already been cancelled. Authorities said they have stockpiled food and rescue equipment in the path the storm is expected to hit.
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