Typhoon Kalmegi kills at least 66 in Philippines

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmegi in the Philippines has risen to 66. Six of the dead were the crew of a military helicopter that crashed during the storm. The storm caused heavy rains and flooding in the central Philippines.
Heavy rains and increasing storm surges on Tuesday forced many people to take shelter on rooftops, submerged hundreds of cars and submerged entire towns and cities on the island of Cebu.
Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Philippine Civil Defense Agency, said 49 of the dead were from Cebu. “The worst flooding has occurred in major cities, especially in densely populated areas,” he told local radio DZMM. He added that 26 people were still missing, but most areas have subsided.
“Our main challenge now is to clear the debris from the road,” Alejandro said. The typhoon hit the Philippines shortly before midnight on Monday, the country’s weather bureau said. Earlier, Cebu City received 183 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, far above the monthly average.