Philippine Air Force Helicopter Crashes During Typhoon Kalmaegi Rescue Mission: 5 Personnel Missing

A military helicopter from the Philippine Air Force carrying five crew members crashed on Monday in the southern region while en route to assist with relief operations for Typhoon Kalmaegi. The devastating typhoon has already claimed at least five lives and caused extensive flooding, trapping numerous residents on rooftops across central villages.

The Super Huey helicopter went down near Loreto town in Agusan del Sur province. Military's Eastern Mindanao Command confirmed in an official statement that search efforts were underway to locate the air force personnel who had been deployed to provide humanitarian assistance to typhoon-affected provinces.

Military officials have not released further details regarding the crash, including the condition of the five personnel aboard or potential causes of the accident.

Typhoon Kalmaegi was last observed over coastal waters near Jordan town in Guimaras province, generating sustained winds of 130 kph (81 mph) with gusts reaching up to 180 kph (112 mph). Weather forecasters predict the typhoon will move toward the South China Sea by late Tuesday or early Wednesday after passing over Palawan province.

Casualties from the typhoon include an elderly villager who drowned in Southern Leyte province, which also experienced a complete power outage. Another individual died after being struck by a fallen tree in Bohol province. Three additional fatalities were reported in Cebu province, where significant flooding affected multiple communities.

Gwendolyn Pang, Philippine Red Cross Secretary-General, reported that numerous residents were stranded on rooftops in Liloan, a coastal town in Cebu. She described a severe situation where vehicles were either submerged or floating in floodwaters.

"We've received numerous rescue calls from people trapped on roofs and in their homes, but immediate response is impossible," Pang told The Associated Press on Tuesday morning. "With abundant debris and floating vehicles, we must wait for floodwaters to recede."

Cebu province was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck on September 30, killing at least 79 people and displacing thousands due to collapsed or severely damaged homes.

In Eastern Samar, one of the first provinces hit by Kalmaegi early Tuesday, Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan of Guiuan reported that approximately 300 rural shanties in the island community of Homonhon suffered roof damage from fierce winds, though no casualties or injuries were reported.

"There was no flooding, just powerful winds," Kwan stated via telephone. "We're managing well and will overcome this. Our community has endured much worse challenges in the past."

The region previously experienced Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, one of history's most powerful tropical cyclones, which devastated central Philippines, claiming over 7,300 lives, destroying entire villages, and leaving millions homeless.

Prior to Kalmaegi's landfall, disaster-response officials reported that more than 387,000 people had evacuated to safer locations across eastern and central Philippine provinces. Authorities issued warnings about torrential rainfall, potentially destructive winds, and storm surges up to three meters (nearly 10 feet).

Maritime authorities prohibited interisland ferries and fishing vessels from sailing in the increasingly turbulent seas, stranding over 3,500 passengers and cargo truck drivers across nearly 100 seaports, according to coast guard reports. Additionally, at least 186 domestic flights were canceled.

The Philippines typically experiences about 20 typhoons and tropical storms annually. The archipelagic nation also frequently faces earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most disaster-vulnerable countries.