Typhoon Mangkhut has killed at least 66 people in the Philippines. A Philippine mayor, however, conceded Monday that the fifty people swept by a landslide are probably all dead.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan, from Itogon town in Benguet province, explained that the victims, ignoring the warnings of officials and police intervention, had taken refuge in a chapel which was later taken away.
Eleven bodies have so far been removed from the rubble and research is continuing.
The typhoon which was downgraded to the tropical storm stage was whipping the south coast of China and the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan on Monday afternoon. Abundant rains and high winds are predicted at least until Tuesday.
Mangkhut was about 200 kilometers west of Nanning City, Guangxi, and was sliding northwesterly, gradually losing strength.
There is, however, significant property damage in the area, including floods and windows shattered by wind and debris. Travel by train, plane and ferry has resumed, and casinos have reopened in Macao.
In Hong Kong, employees were busy clearing fallen trees and cleaning up the damage. Mangkhut would be the most powerful typhoon to sweep the financial center since 1979, with its winds of nearly 200 kilometers / hour.
Agnes is a technical writer, being in touch with reports to come up with the latest tech leaks.
