People clean up their houses in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Mandaue City, Cebu province on November 5, 2025. JAM STA ROSA / AFP
The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines climbed to 66 on Wednesday, November 4, as residents of hardest-hit Cebu province began picking through homes and businesses devastated by the worst flooding in recent memory.
Floodwaters described as unprecedented had rushed through towns and cities, sweeping away cars, trucks and even massive shipping containers. Cebu accounted for 49 of the fatalities, civil defense deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro said in an interview with local radio outlet DZMM, as he confirmed the overall tally.
"It was the major cities that got hit (with floods), highly urbanized areas," Alejandro said, adding that 26 people remained missing. "All the floods have subsided. Our challenge now is the clearing of this debris that is blocking our roads."
AFP reporters on Wednesday morning spoke with residents as they cleaned up streets that had been turned into rivers of water the day before.
