Philippines counts nearly 200 dead as Kalmaegi hits Vietnam

Rescue crews race flooded Cebu communities while a second storm builds strength to the east.

MANILA, Philippines — The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi rose to at least 188 on Friday after floodwaters tore through central Philippine cities and towns earlier in the week, officials said, as the storm crossed the South China Sea and made landfall in central Vietnam on Thursday.

Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, inundated low-lying neighborhoods, toppled trees and power lines, and displaced more than half a million people across the Visayas and parts of Mindanao and southern Luzon. Philippine authorities said at least 127 people remain missing. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government has declared a national state of emergency to speed relief and access emergency funds. In Vietnam, coastal provinces braced for heavy rain and high tides after the system came ashore with gale-force winds and the potential for renewed flooding far inland.

Kalmaegi first lashed the Philippines on Tuesday, swamping rivers and streets in Cebu province and neighboring areas. By late Tuesday, local governments ordered mass evacuations as creeks rose rapidly and cars were swept along major roads. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out Wednesday in waist-deep mud to reach stranded residents, while ferry services and dozens of domestic flights were canceled. On Thursday, after regaining strength over open water, the storm reached Vietnam’s central coast. Forecasters warned it would weaken through Friday as it moved northwest toward Cambodia and Thailand, but its broad rain field could still trigger flash flooding. “This is a calamity,” Marcos said, adding that an emergency declaration would “give us quicker access to some of the emergency funds.”

Philippine disaster officials reported more than 560,000 people displaced by flooding, with nearly 450,000 in evacuation centers at the peak. Cebu province, a tourism and trade hub, suffered some of the heaviest losses after rivers burst their banks, flattening riverside homes and clogging streets with debris. A Philippine Air Force helicopter ferrying aid crashed during operations, killing all six crew members, authorities said. As the system moved west, Vietnam’s disaster prevention agency measured peak winds around 82 mph along sections of the central coast and warned of dangerous high tides in and around Ho Chi Minh City. Provincial committees announced pre-emptive evacuations in low-lying districts and placed rescue assets on standby while schools closed in several coastal towns.

Kalmaegi arrived as communities in and around Cebu were still recovering from a September earthquake that damaged buildings and bridges. The Philippines, which sees an average of about 20 tropical cyclones each year, has endured a string of destructive storms since late summer, including Ragasa in September. In Vietnam, the landfall came on top of a week of deadly flooding that left dozens dead in central provinces even before Kalmaegi’s rains. Low-lying deltas and fast-urbanizing coastal cities across the region remain vulnerable to compound flooding when heavy rain coincides with high tides and drainage systems are overwhelmed.

Authorities in Manila said relief flights and naval transports were moving food packs, water, and generators to Cebu and neighboring islands, with engineers clearing landslides and reopening blocked highways to reach isolated barangays. The Office of Civil Defense said casualty figures could rise as communications are restored with remote communities. In Vietnam, aviation officials warned of possible delays at airports serving Da Nang and Quy Nhon, and river patrols monitored the Saigon River as rain bands swept inland. Forecast centers also tracked another developing system east of the Philippines—Typhoon Fung-Wong—expected to intensify into a powerful supertyphoon over the weekend and brush northern Luzon from Sun. into Mon., adding urgency to clearing drains and staging supplies.

In Cotcot, Liloan, cars lay crumpled against walls and shopfronts where brown water had receded to reveal tangles of branches and corrugated metal. “This was the first time that has happened to us,” said Marlon Enriquez, 58, scraping mud from his floor. “I’ve been living here for almost 16 years and it was the first time I’ve experienced flooding like this.” In nearby Talisay, Eilene Oken, 38, picked through splintered lumber where her house once stood. “We worked and saved for this for years, then in an instant, it was all gone,” she said, adding she was grateful her two daughters were unharmed.

By Friday evening, Philippine officials said search teams were still combing debris piles and riverbanks in Cebu and Negros Occidental, while Vietnam’s interior ministry prepared updated flood maps for central provinces. The next official situation briefing in Manila is expected Saturday morning, with an updated accounting of the missing and damage to bridges, schools, and clinics as recovery begins.

Author note: Last updated November 7, 2025.