The provinces of Benguet and Cagayan on the main island of Luzon and the island province of Palawan in the west were affected. Most of the victims were reportedly buried in landslides or drowned.
The tropical storm “Kompasu”, which is known as “Maring” in the Philippines, hit the north of the Southeast Asian island state with gusts of up to 125 kilometers per hour, according to the local meteorological office. The authority warned of further flooding and possible landslides due to heavy rains in the region. “Kompasu” is expected to move from the Philippines to Hainan in China on Tuesday, it said.
The Philippines is hit by an average of around 20 typhoons each year. In November 2020, the tropical storm “Vamco” killed almost 70 people. The worst typhoon so far, “Haiyan”, killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013. More than four million people had to flee.