The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen above 100 as the devastating impact on hard-hit Cebu province became clearer after the worst flooding in recent memory.
Floodwaters described as unprecedented had rushed through the province's towns and cities a day earlier, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and even massive shipping containers.
Cebu spokesman Rhon Ramos said this morning that 35 bodies had been recovered from flooded areas of Liloan, a town that is part of provincial capital Cebu City's metro area.
The news brought the toll for Cebu to 76. Earlier, national civil defence deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro confirmed at least 17 deaths in other provinces.
Drone footage shows flooded streets and submerged buildings after typhoon hits Philippines
"It was the major cities that got hit (with floods), highly urbanised areas," Mr Alejandro said in an interview with local radio, adding that 26 people remained missing.
Residents cleaned up streets that a day before had been rivers.
"The flood here yesterday was really severe," one man said, adding that everything in his small shop had been washed away.
"The river overflowed. That's where the water came from," he said.
"Around four or five in the morning, the water was so strong that you couldn't even step outside ... nothing like this has ever happened. The water was raging."
In the 24 hours before Kalmaegi's landfall, the area around Cebu City was deluged with 183mm of rain, well over its 131mm monthly average, weather specialist Charmagne Varilla said.
Yesterday, provincial governor Pamela Baricuatro called the situation "unprecedented".
"We were expecting the winds to be the dangerous part, but... the water is what's truly putting our people at risk," she told reporters. "The floodwaters are just devastating."
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall.
In total, nearly 400,000 people were pre-emptively moved from the typhoon's path.
The Philippine military confirmed yesterday that a helicopter, one of four deployed to assist typhoon relief efforts, had crashed on northern Mindanao island.
The Super Huey helicopter went down while en route to the coastal city of Butuan "in support of relief operations" related to the powerful storm, Eastern Mindanao Command said in a statement.
Hours later, air force spokeswoman Colonel Maria Christina Basco said the remains of six people had been recovered by troops.
"We're waiting to confirm the identities via forensics in order to ascertain their identities," she told reporters, saying two pilots and four crew members were on board.
As of 11am local time today, Kalmaegi was moving westwards towards the tourist hotspots of Palawan, with winds of 130km/h per hour and gusts of 180km/h.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, routinely striking disaster-prone areas where millions live in poverty.
With Kalmaegi, the archipelagic country has already reached that average, Ms Varilla said, adding at least "three to five more" storms could be expected by December's end.
The Philippines was hit by two major storms in September, including Super Typhoon Ragasa.
