Hundreds of people were killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced after the strongest typhoon hit Philippine’s central and Southern Provinces. The Super Typhoon Rai, with winds of about 195km/h (120mph) sent about 400,000 people running for safety when it hit the country’s south-eastern islands. The death toll from Typhoon Rai has surpassed 300, with humanitarian workers reporting “complete carnage”, as the disaster left homes, hospitals and schools “ripped to shreds.” Military airplanes and naval vessels were dispatched on Monday to deliver aid to areas devastated by the powerful storm. The death toll is expected to increase further as search and rescue operations continue after they were initially hampered by power and communication outages. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana while speaking to reporters on Monday said, "We are still assessing the damage, but it is huge." "The first thing we are doing is address the food and water (supplies) and medical care of the injured."
More than half of the deaths reported by police were fatalities in the central Visayas region, which includes Bohol province, home to some of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, including dive spots.
About 75% of homes in Bohol province in the Central Visayas region are damaged, Casiano Monilla, assistant secretary at the Office of the Civil Defense, said at a news conference Monday.
Many buildings were damaged across several badly affected areas. Images show residents scrambling through mud and debris to salvage whatever they could from their damaged homes.
Meanwhile, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has conducted an aerial inspection of the areas ravaged by the storm.
Videos posted on social media by his aides show extensive damage to Siargao, Dinagat and Mindanao islands.
The storm is now off the coast of Vietnam in the South China Sea and is expected to weaken further as it gets closer to Hainan, China within the next 24 hours.
Scientists have long cautioned that typhoons are becoming more powerful and strengthening more rapidly as the world becomes warmer because of human-driven climate change.
