In terms of strength, it is equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane. After the landslide, the sack was downgraded to a hurricane, and the wind speed dropped to 215 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour).
Al-Francis Bichara, the provincial governor, said four deaths had been reported so far. The five-year-old was struck by a tree and swept away. The Disaster Management Agency could not confirm the report.
Villages in Bikol were submerged in video footage on news channels and social media that rivers were overflowing and some bikes were damaged.
Philippine authorities have evacuated more than a million people to safer areas as Goni, locally known as Roli, approached the eastern provinces. On Sunday morning, it caused landslides in Catanduvanus and Albe in the Bicol region.
The Philippine Meteorological Agency said there would be “heavy rain from violent winds and tornadoes” in the Bicol provinces and in Cuzon, Laguna and Batangas south of the capital Manila.
The capital, Manila, is currently on the path of the country’s 18th tropical storm, Goni, so far this year, and the Meteorological Bureau predicts “intense” rain and storms in the city.
Climate forecaster Lori della Cruz told a radio station that a third landslide would later hit Quezon province.
Officials also reminded those in the evacuation centers to keep a social distance as the spread of the corona virus is also a concern.
Dozens of international and domestic flights have been canceled as the Civil Aviation Authority ordered the one-day closure of Manila’s main gateway, the Nino Aquino International Airport.
Goni is the strongest hurricane to hit the Philippines since Hurricane Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.
The tropical storm was 1,200 kilometers (745.6 miles) east of the Philippines at 7pm on Saturday night and was weaker than Goni, but it is likely to intensify on Sunday and Monday, Pagasa said.
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