Typhoon Vamco devastates storm-battered Philippines
Typhoon Vamco hits Manila
The third typhoon to hit the storm-battered Philippines in as many weeks caused major flooding in Manila on Thursday, trapping people on rooftops and claiming at least 11 lives in other parts of the country.
Flood warnings were also issued for a number of towns north of the capital as authorities released water from fast-filling dams.
Red Cross chief Richard Gordon said he hoped "the worst is over" as Vamco moved across the South China Sea and people started to return home.
Typhoon Vamco
A resident carries his bicycle as he makes his way through a flooded street to shelter after Typhoon Vamco hit, in Marikina City, suburban Manila.
Typhoon Vamco packed winds of up to 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour as it swept across the country's largest island of Luzon after making landfall overnight.
Authorities warned of landslides and potentially deadly storm surges along the coast.
Typhoon Vamco hits Marikina
A resident makes her way through a flooded street to shelter after Typhoon Vamco hit, in Marikina City, suburban Manila.
Heavy rain effectively shut down Manila, the sprawling capital of 12 million people, and surrounding areas, turning streets into rivers.
"A lot of places are submerged. Many people are crying for help," said Rouel Santos, 53, a retired disaster officer in Rizal province, next to the capital.
Typhoon Vamco
A resident carries his belongings as he makes his way through a flooded street to shelter after Typhoon Vamco hit, in Marikina City, suburban Manila.
Santos said the flooding caused by Vamco brought back memories of the devastating Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, that hit in 2009 and claimed hundreds of lives.
An official from the country's Office of Civil Defense said rainfall dumped by Vamco so far was "near the volume" during Ondoy, warning that flooding could worsen as runoff from nearby mountains flowed into already swollen waterways.
Typhoon Vamco in Manila
A man carries a television as residents make their way through a flooded street to shelter after Typhoon Vamco hit the area in Marikina City, suburban Manila.
Typhoon Vamco
Rescuers evacuate an elderly resident from a flooded home after Typhoon Vamco hit in Marikina City.
At least 11 people died and nine others were missing, according to disaster agency reports for two regions of Luzon.
But complete data for all affected areas on the island has not yet been released and the toll is likely to rise as authorities assess the destruction.
Typhoon Vamco hits Marikina
Rescuers pull a rubber boat carrying residents through a flooded street after Typhoon Vamco hit in Marikina.
The Philippine Red Cross, police, military and other rescuers used boats to reach people stranded in their homes in Marikina City, one of the hardest-hit areas of the capital, where the water in some streets was up to shoulder height.
Residents who were able to escape on foot carried pet dogs, televisions, bicycles and other belongings as they waded through the murky, debris-strewn water.
Typhoon Vamco
Schools, which have been empty since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March, are being used as emergency shelters along with gymnasiums. Around 180,000 people were in evacuation centres, Civil Defense said.
The weather service warned of life-threatening storm surges along parts of the coast, including in Manila, that could inundate low-lying areas.
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