“Everyone is flying as if it is the end of the world.” A devastating typhoon hits the Philippines

At least 33 people were killed in the most powerful typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, according to a new toll published by the authorities on Saturday, noting that the disaster had left heavy damages in the hardest-hit areas in the center and south of the archipelago.

When "Ray" hit the famous tourist island of Siargao Thursday, it was a super-strong cyclone, with winds reaching 195 kilometers per hour.

During the storm, "everyone was flying as if it was the end of the world," Ravi Ribdos, owner of a travel company to the island, told AFP.

More than 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and tourist resorts since Thursday because of Hurricane Ray, which led to power cuts and communications in many areas after destroying communication towers, bringing down electricity poles, uprooting trees and demolishing homes.

On Friday afternoon, it hit the popular tourist destination north of the island of Palawan before moving towards the South China Sea towards Vietnam.

The speed of these winds decreased to 155 kilometers per hour on Friday as the cyclone advanced in the archipelago, causing severe damage, according to the Philippine Meteorological Authority.

Pictures taken from the air by the army showed extensive damage in General Luna E, where many surfers and tourists flocked before Christmas, with buildings that lost their roofs and rubble covering the ground.

The governor of neighboring Dinagat Island, Arleen Bagao, said on Facebook that the cyclone had "levelled the island", adding that homes, boats and fields were completely destroyed.

"The storm uprooted the walls and roofs as if they were leaves," Bagao added.

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