Typhoon Bopha has hit the Philippines and killed around 40 people thus far, Reuters reported. The typhoon hit the Philippines on the island of Mindanao with 121 mph winds on Tuesday. Reuters reported that there are around 40 people dead or missing due to the storm which ruined houses and shattered power and communication lines.
Reuters reported that six soldiers were killed among the 40. ABS CBN reported that these people were killed or went missing in floods and landslides on Mindanao near a mining area.
CNN reported that the storm hit the city of Baganga and there were millions of people that were in the middle of its path.
It really is getting to be a very, very big typhoon and it's just starting," said Richard Gordon, the head of the Philippine Red Cross to CNN.
CNN reported that there are more than 56,000 people in evacuation centers according to Lt. Col. Perfecto Penaredondo who is a military assistant with the Philippines Office of Defense.
The storm is also called, "Pablo" in the Philippines and it became a super typhoon on Monday. It had sustained winds that were larger than 240 kph which is the same as a Category 5 hurricane, reported CNN.
In preparation for Bopha on Tuesday more than 50,000 people were relocated to evacuation centers by government agencies. CNN reported that millions of dollars of relief supplies were put in position in case a quick delivery was needed. Emergency crews, hospital and military were also all on standby.
Because of Bopha, CNN reported that there were more than 3,000 travelers left stranded at airports throughout the Philippines and school classes were suspended in many cities throughout the country.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
