PH
At least four people were killed in accidents caused by Koppu, which slammed into the country on Sunday, toppling trees and cutting off electricity in affected provinces.
More than 20 000 people were displaced, while 6 529 passengers were stranded after dozens of flights were cancelled and sea travel was suspended.
The slow-moving typhoon was packing maximum winds of 120 kph and gusts of up to 150 kph, the weather bureau said. It was moving north-northeast at 5 kph.
Soldiers, police officers and other emergency workers were dispatched to the rice-growing province of Nueva Ecija, where murky floodwaters reached up to rooftops, trapping residents.
Calls for help were sent via the disaster relief agency’s website and Twitter account, or through radio stations.
“My family trapped on this location, please send rescue,” one tweet said, which included a map. Another tweet said, “Please help them. Several houses have already been swept away.”
