World
Death toll from powerful typhoon in Philippines climbs to 12
The death toll from a typhoon that slammed into the Philippines has risen to 12 and its president feared it could climb further as authorities assess the devastation caused by one of the strongest tropical storms to hit the country this year.
A video posted on social media showed destruction caused by the typhoon in Cebu City, where strong winds have uprooted trees and severely damaged buildings and other structures, Reuters reported.
Most of the reported deaths were due to fallen trees and drowning.
Typhoon Rai, which saw winds of up to 195 km per hour before making landfall on Thursday, displaced more than 300,000 people, damaged homes and toppled power and communication lines, complicating the disaster response.
Rai at one point intensified into a category 5 storm, the highest classification, but later weakened. The country sees on average 20 typhoons a year.
