Strong typhoon leaves 42 dead, coats villages with mud

摘要

Thick mud and debris coated many villages around the Philippines' capital today after a typhoon killed at least 42 people and caused extensive flooding that sent people fleeing to their roofs, officials said. Troops, police, coast guard and disaster-response teams rescued tens of thousands of people, including many who flooded radio and TV networks and social media with desperate pleas for help. Floodwaters receded and the weather cleared in many areas after Typhoon Vamco blew out into the South China Sea today, but the military said it was still rescuing people trapped in some flooded communities. Amphibious assault vehicles usually used in counterinsurgency operations were deployed for the rescue work, military chief of staff Gen. Gilbert Gapay said in a meeting with disaster-response officials. "We'll continue to look for the missing, help in damage assessment," Gapay said. The national police reported that the death toll had risen to at least 42 with 20 missing. The government's main disaster-response agency, which waits for provincial reports and follows a laborious process of verifying casualties, reported a much lower death count, causing confusion.