Typhoon Goni: At least 10 dead as year’s worst storm lashes Philippines

Goni is the ‘strongest landfalling tropical cyclone’ in history, meteorologists say. It will move into the South China Sea on Monday evening

Between 19 million and 31 million people could be affected by the typhoon, while tropical storm Atsani could hit Luzon provinces in coming days

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A man looks at his flooded house in Albay province after Typhoon Goni hit the Philippines. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:48am, 1 Nov 2020Updated: 10:15pm, 1 Nov 2020

At least 10 people were killed as Typhoon Goni pounded the Philippines on Sunday, ripping off roofs, toppling power lines and causing flooding in the hardest-hit areas where hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

The strongest typhoon of the year also triggered deadly landslides that buried a number of houses in the southern part of the most populous island of Luzon, officials said.

Goni was a “super typhoon” when it made landfall on Catanduanes Island before dawn, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 225 kilometres (140 miles) per hour.

It was downgraded a few hours later as it swept across Luzon and reduced intensity as it headed towards the capital Manila, where the sprawling city of 12 million was bracing for strong winds in the evening.

A toppled tree seen in the town of Tigaon, Camarines Sur on November 1, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE

“Destructive winds and intense rainfall” were affecting areas in the typhoon’s path, including provinces near the capital, the state weather forecaster warned in its latest update.

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