Storm Bebinca kills 6 in Philippines, 2 missing

ANKARA

At least six people were killed and another two are missing after tropical storm Bebinca hit the Philippines, authorities said on Sunday.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, four died in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and two on the Zamboanga Peninsula in the southern Philippines.

The cyclone, the sixth tropical storm to lash the Philippines since January, has affected over 200,000 people in nearly 300 villages, local English daily Philstar reported.

At least 11 people were also injured in rain-related accidents.

Locally called Ferdie, Bebinca, exited the Philippines on Saturday afternoon, also damaging infrastructure in the affected areas, including roads, bridges, and houses.

China’s warning

China issued an emergency response to flooding as strong rainfall as Bebinca is expected to impact southeastern regions of the country, state media reported on Sunday.

The warning comes as Bebinca moved away from Japan's southwestern island region of Amami early Sunday and headed northwest across the East China Sea, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The storm was located about 230 kilometers (143 miles) west-northwest of the city of Amami and moving northwest at around 25 km per hour (16 mi per hour), the Japan Meteorological Agency reported.

Bebinca, the 13th storm this year, packed winds of up to 180 kph (112 mph) with an atmospheric pressure of 965 hectopascals at its center.

China's Water Resources Ministry has issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding for Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, state-run broadcaster CGTN reported.

Bebinca is forecast to make landfall along the coast from Taizhou City in Zhejiang to Qidong City in Jiangsu between Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing massive precipitation.

It may cause water levels to rise in some medium and minor rivers in these areas.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe.