Dozens killed, army helicopter downed as Typhoon Kalmaegi hits Philippines

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines hit 46 on Tuesday, including six crew of a military helicopter that crashed during the powerful storm that unleashed heavy rains and floods across the central region.

The Huey helicopter went down in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao, where it was conducting a humanitarian disaster response mission, the military said. Six bodies of the crew were recovered and an investigation was underway.

The crash took place before noon about 270 km from the island of Cebu, the worst-hit region, where local authorities said 39 people had been killed by drowning or falling debris. One person was reported dead on the neighbouring island of Bohol.

The Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms each year, is recovering from a run of disasters including earthquakes and severe weather events in recent months.

In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across northern Luzon, forcing schools and government offices to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

Although Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, has gradually lost strength since making landfall early on Tuesday, it continued to lash the country with winds of 120 kph and gusts of 165 kph as it swept across the Visayas islands headed for northern Palawan and towards the South China Sea.

Tens of thousands were evacuated across the Visayas region, including parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, ahead of a storm that submerged homes and caused widespread flooding.

Cebu provincial information officer Ainjeliz Orong said the number of casualties in the province had jumped suddenly, from three reported earlier in the day, as rescue operations were underway and information had just started to come through.

"Search and rescue efforts continue and there are missing and unaccounted individuals," Orong said by phone.

Floods in Cebu City had subsided late on Tuesday but power was still out in many places and telecommunications services were intermittent, a Reuters journalist said.

The typhoon was expected to leave the Philippines late on Wednesday or early Thursday.

Photos and videos from the Philippine Red Cross showed rescue workers wading through knee-deep floodwaters in Cebu City, using boats to reach stranded residents. In a town on the city's outskirts, homes were submerged, with only rooftops and top floors visible.

More than 300 flights to and from the affected areas were cancelled on Tuesday, while boats at sea were advised to return.

State weather agency PAGASA had earlier warned of a high risk of "life-threatening and damaging storm surges" that could reach more than 3 metres (9.84 ft) high on coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines.

The Vietnamese government on Tuesday said that it was preparing for the worst-case scenario as it braced for the impact of Kalmaegi.

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall on Thursday night in Vietnam's central regions, which have already suffered heavy floods that killed at least 40 people and left six others missing over the past week.

"This is a very strong typhoon, which continues to strengthen," the government said.