Manila (EFE).- The number of people killed by the passage of Typhoon Bualoi in the Philippines increased to 10, the country’s authorities said Saturday.
Bualoi made landfall in the central Philippines late Thursday, forcing evacuations and the closure of schools and government offices.
Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, in a video statement, confirmed the number of deaths, adding that three of the 10 fatalities were registered in the eastern province of Masbate due to the collapse of trees and houses, and the rest took place in central Philippines.
The typhoon, locally known as Opong, led to the evacuation of 351,840 people, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The typhoon made landfall in Eastern Samar shortly before midnight, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or PAGASA, before crossing the Bicol region and the western island of Mindoro, losing strength along the way.
Bualoi gained strength again after entering the South China Sea, PAGASA said Saturday, and was headed towards Vietnam, where it is expected to make landfall between Sunday night and Monday.
The storm arrived only four days after Super Typhoon Ragasa battered northern parts of the Philippines, killing at least 10 people and injuring 17 while forcing thousands into evacuation centers, according to the national disaster agency.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 tropical cyclones each year, most during the rainy season that runs from June through November or December. Warm Pacific waters fuel storms that frequently bring deadly flooding and landslides.
Bualoi also comes amid growing public anger over alleged corruption in multibillion-peso flood control projects. Those projects were intended to protect communities from typhoons but have been exposed as substandard or never built, according to lawmakers and watchdog groups. EFE
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