The Philippine military committed on Thursday to continue to search and rescue efforts after tropical storm Megi ravaged the central Philippines this week, killing 123 people.
Tropical Storm Megi impacted the Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,600 islands that averages 20 tropical storms each year.
86 people died, and it injured 236 in Baybay, a hilly district in Leyte province prone to landslides, according to the local government.
Three more perished in separate regions, while six remain unaccounted for.
“We will keep searching for survivors,” a Philippine Army infantry unit in Baybay declared on Facebook.
Local government aerial photos and video showed crumbled slopes burying coconut trees and residences in sludge. Rescuers used rubber boats to approach a landslide.
Megi, which landed on Sunday with persistent winds of up to 65 kph and gusts up to 80 kph, has now dispersed.
On Leyte, an army engineering and construction unit claimed the area of Kantagnos was “devastated.” Homes and livelihoods were ruined, families and individuals were missing, and communication was disrupted.
According to official figures, nearly 162,000 displaced citizens are in shelters, while 41,000 are staying with families.
In December, typhoon Rai battered the central Philippines, killing 405 and injuring almost 1,400. 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most ferocious ever recorded, killed 6,300.
