Philippines: Super Typhoon Fung-Wong Kills 2, Displaces Over 1 Million

By Staff, Agencies

Super Typhoon Fung-wong has struck the Philippines, leaving at least two dead, displacing 1.4 million people, and causing widespread destruction.

More than 1.4 million people were evacuated across the country as the storm triggered flash flooding, storm surges, landslides and gale-force winds, Philippine authorities said on Monday.

The biggest typhoon to threaten the Philippines in years, Fung-wong was forecast to cover two-thirds of the archipelago with its 1,800-kilometre [1,118-mile] -wide rain and wind band.

In Pandan, Catanduanes, floodwaters reached rooftops, washing away homes. At least one person was killed in flash flooding, while civil defense workers rescued over a dozen others

Roberto Monterola, a disaster-mitigation officer for Catanduanes, told the AP, our personnel rescued 14 people trapped on a roof in a flooded neighborhood. A father also called in panic, saying the wind was about to rip off his roof. We saved him and four relatives.

At least two people have been confirmed dead as of Monday morning, authorities said: one drowned in the Catanduanes, and another killed when her house collapsed on her in eastern Samar.

The super typhoon weakened to a typhoon early Monday, with winds dropping from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, though gusts still reached 275 km/h. It is expected to continue weakening as it moves north toward Taiwan.

The national disaster response service [NDRRMC] is assessing damage to infrastructure and homes, with 6,000 evacuation centers housing 92,000 families.

Fung-wong hit just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 224 and left 135 missing. The storm moved on to Vietnam, killing five. Search efforts for the missing were suspended on Sunday due to safety concerns.

The climate crisis is intensifying tropical storms. Fung-wong is the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2025. Super-typhoons have more than doubled in the past 20 years, causing an average of $3.5 [£2.7m] million in annual damage, according to the World Bank.

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency on Thursday due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected damage from Fung-wong.