Death toll from Philippine typhoon rises to 46

Manila: Philippine authorities announced that the death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi has risen to 46, including six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed during the powerful storm, which brought torrential rains and flooding to the central Philippines.

The Philippine Army said in a statement that the helicopter crashed while on a rescue mission. The bodies of the crew members have been recovered. The crash occurred approximately 270 km from Cebu Island, the most affected area.

Although Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, has gradually weakened since making landfall on Tuesday, it continued to batter the country with winds reaching speeds of up to 120 km per hour as it passed through the Visayas islands, heading towards northern Palawan and the South China Sea.

Local authorities indicated that tens of thousands of residents in the Visayas region have been evacuated, and rescue operations are ongoing. The typhoon is expected to leave the Philippines later on Wednesday or early on Thursday.

The Philippines is hit by or approaches approximately 20 typhoons and storms annually, often causing the most damage in the country's poorest areas.