Typhoon Man-yi claims 12 lives, leaving widespread destruction in Philippines

The death toll from Super Typhoon Man-yi in the Philippines has risen to 12, according to the national disaster agency, as the widespread flooding caused by the storm begins to subside.

Man-yi, which struck over the weekend, brought maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, submerging villages and demolishing fragile buildings across the archipelago, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

It was the sixth major storm to batter the Philippines in just one month, with these storms collectively claiming at least 175 lives, displacing thousands, and causing extensive damage to crops and livestock.

Most of the fatalities from Man-yi occurred in the mountainous regions north of Manila. Seven people were killed when a landslide buried their home in Nueva Vizcaya province. In the coastal town of Dipaculao, where the typhoon made a second landfall, a boulder smashed into a house, killing three people inside, according to Ariel Nepomuceno, a senior official at the civil defence office. Nepomuceno confirmed that four people are still missing in the aftermath of the disaster.

"The recovery process has begun, and people have started repairing their homes," Nepomuceno said. "Construction materials are arriving in the hardest-hit provinces to aid in the rebuilding efforts."

In Tuguegarao City in the north, floodwaters caused by the release of water from a dam and a swollen Cagayan River have begun to recede. Thousands of homes were flooded in the days following the typhoon's departure.

"The water level has gone down to just one foot (0.3 metres) high, and some evacuees have started returning to their homes," said Ian Valdepenas, a local disaster official. "Schools and government offices have reopened."

The Philippines, which is regularly struck by about 20 major storms and typhoons each year, is grappling with the rare occurrence of several powerful weather events in close succession. Despite the recovery efforts, the country continues to face significant challenges in the wake of these devastating storms.

By Aghakazim Guliyev