Super Typhoon 'Seagull' swept across multiple central provinces of the Philippines after making landfall, bringing torrential rains and severe flooding that caused significant casualties and damage to infrastructure. Philippine officials confirmed on the evening of the 4th that the nationwide death toll had risen to at least 46, including six crew members who died when a military helicopter crashed during a disaster relief mission.
According to the Philippine meteorological agency, Seagull made landfall in the central Philippines in the early hours of the 4th local time, sweeping across Cebu Island, Leyte Island, and surrounding areas, with wind speeds reaching up to 165 kilometers per hour. The heavy rain triggered floods and landslides in many places. Cebu became the hardest-hit area, with at least 39 people killed due to drowning or being struck by flying debris. Hundreds of houses collapsed, containers and cars were swept away by floodwaters, streets were left devastated, and car wreckage was piled up like mountains. One death was also reported on nearby Bohol Island.
On the evening of the 4th local time, the Philippine Air Force reported that a military helicopter on a disaster relief mission crashed in the southern region of Mindanao. The helicopter took off from Davao City and was scheduled to fly to Butuan City in Agusan del Norte Province to deliver supplies and support the disaster area, but crashed in Agusan del Sur Province. All six crew members on board perished. After losing contact with the helicopter, the military launched a search and ultimately found the bodies at the crash scene. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) stated that since Seagull made landfall, it has forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate urgently, a large number of flights were canceled, and power and communication were cut off in some areas. Floodwaters in Cebu City have slightly receded, but large-scale power outages have yet to be restored.
According to meteorological forecasts, Seagull is currently weakening into a severe tropical storm and is expected to cross the Visayas islands into the South China Sea on the 5th, and could make landfall in central Vietnam as early as Thursday night.
The Philippines is located in the western Pacific typhoon belt and is hit by an average of 20 typhoons or tropical storms each year. Authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant, to temporarily refrain from returning to disaster-stricken areas, and are stepping up search, rescue, and post-disaster reconstruction efforts.