The Southeast Asian nation of the Philippines experienced significant loss and damage as the first typhoon of the year, Typhoon Ewiniar, made landfall. Reportedly, the catastrophic event claimed the lives of three individuals, including a seven-month-old infant, and is anticipated to further intensify as it progresses towards Japan.
On Sunday, three lives were lost when trees toppled over in the province of Quezon, close to the country's capital, as per the information furnished by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The fatalities included an infant and two others who couldn't escape the rampaging weather in time.
Typhoon Ewiniar, locally referred to as Aghon, has also triggered a significant power outage, leaving thousands of Filipinos in the dark. The typhoon's powerful winds are responsible for the destruction of power lines and the subsequent closure of nine power plants. This incident followed the earlier suspension of 12 plants, leading to a dramatic drop in power capacity by nearly 4,300 megawatts, as stated by the Department of Energy.
Ewiniar, currently boasting sustained winds of 140 kilometers (approximately 87 miles) per hour, is predicted to affect the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes by Tuesday. It is expected to leave the Philippine territorial waters by early Thursday, according to forecasts by the local meteorological department.
The typhoon's intended path, as per predictions made by the Hong Kong Observatory, will see it heading towards the south of Japan next. With an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually, the Philippines is among the nations most adversely affected by such weather phenomena across the globe.