The storm moved away from the northern Philippines and killed 65 people, but forecasters warn it could make a U-turn

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Tropical Storm Trami At least 65 people died as landslides and extreme flooding erupted in the northwestern Philippines on Friday, forcing authorities to scramble for more rescue boats to rescue thousands of terrified people, some trapped on rooftops.

But the onslaught may not be over: State forecasters have raised the rare possibility that the storm, the 11th and one of the deadliest to hit the Philippines this year, could make a U-turn next week as it is pushed back by high-pressure winds. In the South China Sea.

At least 33 people were killed in landslides caused by Trami in Batangas province south of Manila, the Philippine provincial police chief said on Friday. Thus, the number of deaths from the storm increased to at least 65.

Col. Jacinto Malinao Jr. told The Associated Press by phone from the lakeside town of Talisay that he stood next to a villager whose wife and child were buried in a deep pile of mud, rocks and trees. He said 11 more villagers were missing in Batangas.

Using a digger and shovel, police scrambled to search through 10 feet of mud, rocks and debris and found a head and foot fragments that appeared to belong to the missing woman and child.

Malinao said he was “devastated” about the fishing villager whose wife and child were buried in a landslide that occurred during heavy rains on Thursday afternoon while he was tending to fish cages at the lake.

“He was in shock and couldn’t talk and we just ask him to show where the bedrooms are so we can dig that part,” Malinao said.

The storm last occurred on Friday afternoon, 410 kilometers (255 miles) west of the northwestern Philippine province of Ilocos Sur, with sustained winds of up to 95 km/h (59 mph) and gusts up to 115 km/h (78 mph). It was watched as it blew with the winds. It was heading northwest towards Vietnam at 30 km/h (19 mph); It is estimated that if it stays on course it will be attacked by Trami starting from Sunday.

However, the Philippine weather agency said high-pressure winds and other weather conditions in the South China Sea could cause the storm to move back towards the Philippines.

A weary-sounding President Ferdinand Marcos asked about that possibility at an emergency meeting Friday with Cabinet members and disaster response officials about the response to widespread destruction.

“What is the prediction of this? Is it possible for him to return? Marcos asked.

A government forecaster told him that Trami could return to the western Philippines early next week, but was more likely to fly out of the Philippines again without making landfall.

Marcos stated that the showers started by Trami in the Philippines are continuing and said, “It does not need to land on land for damage to occur.”

Marcos also stated that another storm was approaching in the Pacific Ocean that could threaten the country again.

“Oh my God, that’s it. Marcos said, ‘We just have to deal with it.’

State forecaster Jofren Habaluyas told the AP that Trami’s possible U-turn has attracted attention among government weather experts in Asia, including Japan, which is providing information to the Philippines to help track the storm.

The 65 storm deaths included 26 villagers killed by floodwaters and landslides in hard-hit Bicol, an agricultural region and tourist destination southeast of Manila popular for Mayon, one of the country’s 24 most active volcanoes with a near-perfect cone There was.

The Civil Defense Agency said at least 20 people were missing in several provinces, including Batangas.

Although Trami did not become a typhoon, it dumped unusually heavy rains in some areas; some of these saw one to two months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours, flooding communities with flash floods.

Authorities in the city of Naga, where 11 people drowned, and the surrounding states of Camarines Sur and Albay, requested more rescue boats at the height of the attack to reach people trapped on the upper floors or rooftops of their homes as floodwaters rose. .

on the outskirts mayon volcano In Albay province, when the storm hit, mud and other debris flowed into nearby towns, engulfing homes and cars in streams of black mud.

Disaster mitigation officials said more than 2.6 million people were affected by the floods and about 320,000 fled to evacuation centers or relatives’ homes.

The government closed schools and government offices for a third day on Friday to keep millions of people safe on the northern island of Luzon. Inter-island ferry services were also stopped and thousands of people were stranded.

In Vietnam, state forecasters warned of heavy rains in the central region. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered coastal provinces to be careful, closely monitor Trami’s course and be prepared for unexpected situations.

Last month, Typhoon Yagi It battered Vietnam, killing 323 people and causing major damage worth $3.3 billion, according to a Vietnamese government report.

Approximately 20 storms and typhoons occur every year in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago located between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. in 2013 Typhoon HaiyanThe hurricane, one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and destroyed entire villages.

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Dinh reported from Hanoi, Vietnam.

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