2 Filipinos hurt as Mangkhut hits Hong Kong
MANILA, Philippines — At least two Filipinos were injured while 41 others had to be rescued in the onslaught of Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
A Filipina tourist had to undergo leg surgery after being hit by flying debris. Another Filipina was also hurt by falling debris but needed no hospital treatment, according to the report of Consul General Antonia Morales to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
The consul general also reported that a 36-member Filipino tour group had to be assisted after being stranded when the windshield of their bus was shattered by strong winds.
The bus was supposed to bring them to the airport. A bus was sent to rescue the group to bring them back to their hotel.
Hong Kong authorities also had to rescue five Filipino workers of a dive resort.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration also received calls from Filipino household workers who sustained minor injuries but did not need hospital treatment, according to Morales.
Assistance available through Consulate hotline
"Consul General Morales also said his officers and staff are all safe and that their consular operations have resumed today," the DFA said.
The Consulate General will continue to monitor the 227,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong in the aftermath of the typhoon that also devastated the Philippines.
"He said Filipinos in Hong Kong who may require assistance can call 999 or the Consulate Hotline at +852.9155.4023," the DFA said.
The storm shattered glass windows on commercial skyscrapers in Hong Kong, sending sheets of paper pouring out of the buildings, fluttering and spiraling as they headed for the debris-strewn ground, according to videos on social media.
Mangkhut also felled trees, tore scaffolding off buildings under construction and flooded some areas of Hong Kong with waist-high waters, according to the South China Morning Post.
Casinos on Macau were ordered closed for the first time due to the typhoon. A red alert, the most severe warning, was issued for densely populated southern China, which the national meteorological center said would face a "severe test caused by wind and rain."
Flights over the weekend and into Monday were canceled in Hong Kong and the mainland cities of Shenzhen, Haikou, Sanya, Guangzhou and Zhuhai. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were also halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co. said. — Patricia Lourdes Viray with Associated Press
Typhoon Mangkhut is feared to gain strength as it approaches the Philippine area of responsibility. The tropical cyclone will be named "Ompong" once within the country's vicinity.
The United States Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center records that "Mangkhut" has maximum sustained winds of 80 knots or 148 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 185 kilometers per hour as of Monday morning.
Forecast track of the cyclone shows that it is heading toward the northernmost tip of the country's water off northern Luzon by Friday.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government tallies 66 dead, 62 missing in wake of Typhoon Ompong, ONE News reports.
DILG says 66 were already reported dead and 62 are missing due to the onslaught of Typhoon #OmpongPH. | via @News5AKSYON / @ryanangnews5 pic.twitter.com/AqHV4KfHCd
— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) September 18, 2018
The department says it will also look into potential lapses in local governments' disaster preparations.
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines clarifies Tuesday that a church reported to have collapsed in a landslide in Itogon, Benguet was an old bunkhouse that was being used as a place of worship by United Church Fellowship (Pentecostal Group).
The casualty figure on Monday was at 56 dead but the figure is expected to rise, with around 40 to 50 people believed to still be buried in the mud as search and retrieval operations continue.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who said he is a member of UCCP, on Monday played down President Rodrgo Duterte's remark over the weekend that the "church" would not have collapsed if people had replaced the priest there. He also said priests are stupid.
"Ang tingin ko naman po, hindi naman po seryoso ang presidente. Let's not take his words always literally," Roque said.
Benguet was one of the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) over the weekend.
Philippine and Chinese authorities say the death toll from a typhoon has risen to at least 69 with dozens missing.
Mangkhut weakened to a tropical storm Monday morning as it moved deeper into southern China, where rain and strong winds were expected to continue through Tuesday.
A Philippine national police report said the death toll as of Monday midday was 65, with 43 people missing and 64 injured. Chinese authorities reported four deaths from falling trees and building materials in Guangdong, China's manufacturing hub.
Many of the missing in the Philippines are gold miners and their families feared buried in a landslide after seeking shelter in a bunkhouse-turned-chapel in a village in Benguet province.
Mangkhut battered the northern Philippines on Saturday before slamming into southern China on Sunday. It was the most powerful typhoon to hit Hong Kong since 1979, packing winds of 195 kilometers per hour (121 mph). — AP
Mangkhut has weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it moves deeper into China.
The storm was still affecting southern China's coast and the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan on Monday morning and rain and strong winds were expected to continue through Tuesday.
Hong Kong residents were being told to stay away from the coastline and be on alert for occasional gales. Bus, ferry and rail services were suspended and almost 900 flights were canceled at the city's airport, one of the world's busiest. The South China Morning Post said Hong Kong's hospitals had to use backup power due to outages caused by the storm.
Mangkhut earlier lashed the Philippines, sparking landslides and building collapses that killed at least 64 people. At least two deaths have been reported in China. As of Monday morning Mangkhut was on track to pass over the Guangxi regional capital of Nanning.
The Hong Kong Observatory reported Mangkhut was the most powerful cyclone to hit the city since 1979, packing maximum sustained gusts of 195 kilometers per hour (121 mph). — AP
Australia is providing A$800,000 (P30.9 million) worth of humanitarian supplies to the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Ompong. This includes sleeping mats, blankets and hygiene and shelter kits for up to 25,000 people in the most affected areas.
These supplies are being distributed by the Philippine Red Cross.
Australia also deployed humanitarian experts to the Philippines.
"Our Embassy is coordinating closely with Philippine authorities and our international partners... We stand ready to provide further assistance, if requested by the Philippine Government," the Australian government says.
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