by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
MANILA/CEBU CITY (Worthy News) – The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, climbed sharply Tuesday as at least 26 people were confirmed dead and hundreds of thousands displaced across the central Philippines, authorities said.
Floodwaters trapped residents on rooftops and submerged cars, including in Cebu, one of the country’s main central islands and provinces, Worthy News learned.
“Cebu is a mess now. It’s my second time experiencing super typhoons here like Odette, but this time is different,” said Christian aid worker Merry Joy Osman, speaking from Cebu City.
She urged prayers as “all-in-one flooding is everywhere.”
“Landslides have damaged a boarding home,” added the mother of one. “Thanks God [my young daughter] Ash and I are safe,” Osman told Worthy News.
HELICOPTER CRASH DURING RELIEF MISSION
She spoke while news emerged that relief efforts were strenuous as a Philippine Air Force Super Huey helicopter with five personnel on board crashed Tuesday in southern Agusan del Sur province while flying to deliver humanitarian aid to storm-hit regions, the military confirmed.
The aircraft went down near Loreto town, and search operations were ongoing, the Eastern Mindanao Command said. Officials did not immediately release the condition of those aboard or the cause of the crash.
Amid the devastation, there were also signs of hope:
The Archdiocese of Cebu, under Archbishop Alberto Uy, directed parish priests to open church buildings as temporary shelters for families displaced by flooding, according to an official statement released Tuesday.
The Archdiocese asked parishes unaffected by structural damage from last month’s earthquake to host evacuees and coordinate with local authorities, a reminder of the Catholic Church’s influence in this heavily Catholic nation.
WIDESPREAD FLOODING AND RESCUE EFFORTS
Videos verified by Worthy News and posted on DZRH Radio’s page on social media outlet Facebook showed entire neighborhoods in Talisay City, south of Cebu, submerged with only rooftops visible.
Other footage captured residents along Consolacion Highway banding together to rescue a cow swept away by raging floodwaters.
Authorities said torrential rains, strong winds, and storm surges forced more than 387,000 people from their homes across the Visayas region and neighboring provinces.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed the 26 fatalities, warning that the toll could rise as rescue teams reach isolated communities.
20TH TYPHOON OF THE YEAR
Kalmaegi made landfall early Tuesday with sustained winds of about 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour) and gusts up to 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour), said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Flights and ferry services were suspended, and widespread power outages were reported in Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Leyte.
PAGASA said the storm — the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year — was expected to move westward across the Visayas and exit into the South China Sea by Wednesday while maintaining typhoon strength.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it carried out an airstrike in the Zaita area of southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative involved in drone operations and terror activity along Israel’s northern border.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Danish officials next week amid renewed insistence from President Donald Trump that the United States must acquire Greenland to protect American national security interests in the Arctic.
President Donald Trump on Jan. 7 proposed raising U.S. military spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027, a dramatic increase he said is necessary to secure the nation amid what he described as “very troubled and dangerous times.”
U.S. President Donald J. Trump faced an unprecedented rebuke from the Republican-controlled Senate late Thursday after lawmakers advanced a war powers resolution aimed at limiting his authority to conduct military operations in or against Venezuela without congressional approval.
Thousands of Iranians poured into the streets and shouted from rooftops across Tehran and other cities Thursday night following a call for mass demonstrations by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, marking a significant escalation in nationwide unrest gripping the Islamic Republic. Witnesses reported widespread chanting and street rallies as authorities abruptly shut down internet access and disrupted phone lines shortly after protests began.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for another three years.
President Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon that the federal government will buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to bring down interest rates and monthly payments.