At least 7 dead as Super typhoon Goni hits Philippines

(Adds casualties)

Manila, Nov 1 (EFE).- At least seven people died on Sunday due to high winds and torrential rains caused by Typhoon Goni in the northern Philippines.

The Department of National Defense said the deaths occurred in the Bicol region in the northeast, while some 390,200 people have been displaced.

The typhoon with winds of 225 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 280 kilometers, made landfall Sunday in the north of the Philippines, where up to 1 million people have been evacuated ahead of the biggest tropical storm of the year.

Authorities have warned of the danger of torrential rains, floods and landslides on the island of Luzon, where the capital is located and the most affected by COVID-19, which has caused more than 380,000 cases and 7,221 deaths in the country.

Pagasa, the Philippine meteorological agency, reported “destructive” winds and heavy rains in the Bicol region, with the super typhoon moving east to west toward Manila and other major urban centers in Luzon.

This island is the most populous in the Philippines, with about half of the 108 million inhabitants in the archipelago, and also its economic engine, now heavily affected by the restrictions of the pandemic.

At least 22 people were killed a week ago from Molave, the latest typhoon in the Philippines that has also wreaked havoc in Vietnam.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year, the most destructive having been Super Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the islands of Samar and Leyte in November 2013, killing some 7,000 people and leaving 200,000 families homeless.

Haiyan hit with winds of up to 230 kmph and gusts of up to 315 kmph. EFE