Philippines Battered by Year's Strongest Typhoon Goni

The world’s strongest typhoon this year raked across the Philippines Sunday, triggering floods and mudslides and killing at least ten, officials said.

Super Typhoon Goni, locally known as Rolly, made landfall on the island province of Catanduanes around 4:30 a.m. with sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and gusts up to 310 kilometers (193 miles) per hour.

It moved west at around 25 kilometers (15 miles) per hour, with nearly 20 million people on its path, including the capital, Manila.

Around 7 p.m. local time, Goni was packing sustained winds of 125 kilometers (77 miles) per hour, and stronger gusts, with the center of the storm passing across the island of Mindoro, some 165 kilometers (102 miles) south of Manila, forecasters said.

The storm came on the heels of Typhoon Molave, which passed through the same areas as Goni and left more than 20 dead, according to disaster relief officials.

Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, dubbed Astani – or Siony, locally – was brewing east of the Philippines, with forecasters warning it could hit northern Luzon at mid-week.

Full story: BenarNews

BenarNews staff
Manila and Dagupan, Philippines