Erik De Castro/Reuters
Residents transported the body of victim in the southern Philippines on Wednesday.
MANILA —Rescue teams were trying to reach isolated villages in the southern Philippines on Wednesday after a powerful out-of-season typhoon tore through the region, leaving more than 270 people dead, officials said.
NASA
Typhoon Bopha moved toward the Philippines on Monday.
Karlos Manlupig/Associated Press
Relatives mourned in New Bataan on Wednesday.
Karlos Manlupig/Associated Press
Residents assessed the damage to their homes on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Tuesday after a typhoon struck.
Typhoon Bopha packed winds of up to 100 miles per hour when it struck Tuesday, bringing torrential rains that flattened entire villages, leaving thousands homeless, as well as washing out roads and bridges needed by rescue personnel trying to reach stricken regions.
A national disaster official, Benito Ramos, said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that 274 deaths had been confirmed, with 339 people known to be injured and 279 missing.
The storm was weakening and leaving the Philippines on Wednesday. The Philippines is hit by more than 20 powerful tropical storms per year, but Bopha struck remote communities off the usual storm path that are not accustomed to such strong typhoons.
In December of last year, Tropical Storm Washi killed more than 1,200 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Officials this year called for mandatory early evacuations of vulnerable communities.
Typhoon Said to Have Killed Hundreds in Philippines
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Typhoon Said to Have Killed Hundreds in Philippines
