Typhoon Kalmaegi kills at least 26 across central Philippines

At least 26 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced after Typhoon Kalmaegi – one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines this year – tore through the country’s central region, submerging towns, uprooting homes, and triggering landslides, officials said.

The storm, locally known as Tino, unleashed torrential rains and winds exceeding 130km/h (80mph) as it barrelled across the Visayas islands on Tuesday.

The island province of Cebu bore the brunt of the devastation, with officials warning that the death toll was likely to rise.

“The situation in Cebu is really unprecedented,” provincial governor Pamela Baricuatro said in a social media post. “We were expecting the winds to be the dangerous part, but the water is what’s truly putting our people at risk. The floodwaters are just devastating.”

Entire neighbourhoods in Cebu City and surrounding areas were submerged after rivers burst their banks, sending torrents of muddy water through communities.