At least 13 killed by flooding ahead of typhoon Nalgae in the Philippines

Manila, Oct 28 (EFE).- At least 13 people died in flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains on Friday in the southern Philippines, ahead of the imminent arrival of typhoon Nalgae, the police told EFE.

All of the fatalities are reported to have occurred in Maguindanao del Norte region of southern Mindanao.

Nalgae is currently a severe tropical storm but is likely to gain strength in the next few hours until it makes landfall in the northeast of the archipelago to become a typhoon on Saturday, the state meteorological agency reported.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecasts winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour Saturday afternoon, when it could reach the provinces of Camarines Sur or Quezon.

A Level 2 alert due to strong winds was activated in several provinces in the east and northwest of the country, while the administration kept a Level 1 alert in Metro Manila and other regions in the northwest of the archipelago.

Nalgae could make landfall on the Polillo Islands, a small archipelago devastated in September by Typhoon Noru, which hit with winds of up to 185 kmph.

The trajectory of the new typhoon could also pass through several cities in central Luzon, where Noru left at least 5 dead and around 14,000 evacuees.

Nalgae would be the 12th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change. EFE

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