By Adem Salvarcioglu
TUGUEGARAO, Philippines (AA): At least 64 people were killed by Typhoon Mangkhut in northern Philippines on Sunday, according to the local media. 36 people are feared buried under thick mud in mining town of Itogon in Benguet. The Super typhoon Mangkhut hit the Chinese mainland on Sunday
The announcement came from the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Earlier, Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police (PNP) director, said that most of the casualties occurred due to landslides caused by the typhoon.
Albayalde added more than 100,000 people have been evacuated to safe places.
Nearly 250,000 people have been affected by Typhoon Mangkhut, which has decreased its speed down to 100 kilometer per hour and is headed to southern China and Hong Kong.
More than 250 domestic and international flights were grounded due to bad weather and 141 areas in the affected regions had experienced power outages.
Hundreds of houses have been destroyed and at least 36 people are feared buried under thick mud in the Philippines after Super Typhoon Mangkhut triggered a massive landslide in the country’s north.
Rescue workers have been working to retrieve survivors in the mining town of Itogon, in Benguet, where at least 36 people have died, many of whom are thought to be miners and their families
.
Mohammed Abdiker, director of operations and emergencies for the UN Migration Agency, says as many as 50 people could have been buried
The typhoon has forced an almost complete shutdown of several mega-cities, including Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. Most flights in and out of Hong Kong and nearby Shenzhen were cancelled on Sunday. Two people were reported to have been killed.
Additional report by The Muslim News
[Archive photo: Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban city, Philippines on 17 December, 2013. Photographer: Sarp Ozer/AA]