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Tropical storm Megi leaves 1 dead, 1 missing in Philippines

IANS | April 11, 2022 03:28 PM

MANILA: Tropical storm Megi in the Philippines unleashed floods and set off landslides over the weekend, leaving at least one dead and one missing, the government said on Monday.

A government disaster agency said Megi, which made landfall on Sunday morning, has also affected over 136, 000 people in central and southern Philippines, reports Xinhua news agency.

Many areas were hit by floods even before the storm made landfall.

Over 13, 000 displaced people are sheltering in the evacuation centres, while some are staying with relatives, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

On Monday, the state weather bureau downgraded Megi to a tropical depression.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Megi was blowing maximum winds of 45 km per hour and with gusts of up to 60 km per hour as of Monday.

Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries, including active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, and around 20 typhoons a year, causing floods and landslides.

Typhoon Rai, the 15th to lash the Philippines last year, killed more than 400 people.

The category 5 typhoon destroyed more than 1.7 million houses in eight provinces.

The UN estimated over 9.9 million people across the six worst-hit regions were affected by the typhoon.

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