At least five people were killed. At times, the storm was classified by the authorities as a super typhoon. On Sunday evening (local time), “Noru” made landfall in the province of Quezon on the main island of Luzon. The gusts reached top speeds of 240 kilometers per hour. Local governor Daniel Fernando said the dead were members of a rescue team. They were working in a flooded village north of the capital Manila when they were hit by a falling wall.
More than 8,000 people had been taken to safety as a precaution. Dozens of flights and ferry services have been canceled. The power went out in some regions. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took a helicopter tour of the damage.
According to the weather service, the hurricane, which is called “Karding” in the Philippines, had weakened by Monday. With wind speeds of 140 kilometers per hour, he was traveling in a north-westerly direction. It was expected that “Noru” will leave the island nation in the evening.
The Philippines are hit by an average of about 20 typhoons each year. The worst storm to date, Haiyan, killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013. At the end of last year, typhoon “Rai” caused severe devastation, killing more than 400 people.
Source: Nachrichten
