MANILA – At least seven people have died due to tropical storm Ewiniar, which struck the Philippines over the weekend, authorities confirmed on May 28. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr stated that search and rescue operations would continue in the wake of the storm.
Ewiniar unleashed strong winds and heavy rain in provinces south of Manila, leading to the closure of airports and seaports and causing widespread power outages. As of May 28, the storm was moving towards the east coast of Japan, with sustained winds reaching up to 130 km/h and gusts up to 160 km/h.
In Misamis Oriental province, a 14-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on a parked vehicle she was in, the national disaster agency reported. Another student was injured in the incident.
In Quezon province, east of the capital, six fatalities were reported, according to Police Major Elizabeth Capistrano. The victims included two men, aged 56 and 22, who drowned, and a 39-year-old man struck by a falling tree.
President Marcos, speaking ahead of his state visit to Brunei, mentioned that nearly 27,000 people were affected by the storm. Additionally, operations at three airports and nine seaports were disrupted over the weekend.
Ewiniar marks the first tropical storm to hit the Philippines in 2024. The Southeast Asian nation experiences an average of 20 storms annually, often resulting in significant rain, powerful winds, and deadly landslides.