CEBU, Philippines (FN) — Typhoon Kalmaegi has claimed at least 140 lives and left 127 people missing in the central Philippines, where torrential rains triggered catastrophic flooding, officials said Thursday. The storm is now barreling toward Vietnam, raising fears of further destruction.
The national civil defense office confirmed 114 fatalities, while Cebu provincial authorities reported 28 additional deaths. In Liloan, a town near Cebu City, emergency crews recovered 35 bodies amid scenes of devastation, including overturned vehicles and collapsed rooftops.
Kalmaegi is the deadliest storm globally in 2025, according to the EM-DAT disaster database. It surpasses last year’s Typhoon Trami, which killed 191 people in the Philippines. The scale of destruction has prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of national calamity.
Residents described harrowing escapes as floodwaters surged into homes. Christine Aton, 29, recounted how she and her father swam to safety while her disabled sister remained trapped. “We tried everything to open her door,” she said. “But the water kept rising, and we had to leave.”
In Mandaue, shopkeeper Reynaldo Vergara said his business was wiped out when a nearby river overflowed. “The water was raging,” he said. “Around dawn, it was impossible to even step outside.”
Meteorologist Benison Estareja said rainfall in Cebu exceeded 1.5 times the monthly average for November, calling it a “once-in-20-years” event. He noted that the region’s dense urban development amplified the storm’s impact.
Vietnam is bracing for Kalmaegi’s arrival, with authorities warning of waves up to eight meters and destructive storm surges. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha called the typhoon “urgent and dangerous,” urging evacuations in vulnerable coastal areas.
In Quy Nhon, officials went door to door Thursday, urging residents to flee. The country has already endured a week of flooding that killed 47 people, and Kalmaegi is expected to compound the damage when it makes landfall late Thursday.
Kalmaegi is the 13th typhoon or tropical storm to affect Vietnam this year, exceeding its annual average. In the Philippines, it marks the 20th such storm of 2025, with meteorologists warning that several more could strike before year’s end.
Another system, Tropical Storm Fung-wong, is gathering strength east of Luzon and may reach super typhoon status before landfall early next week, according to the state weather bureau.
