A terrifying video captured the moment a suspension bridge in Camaligan, Philippines, twisted violently under the 200 km/h winds of Super Typhoon Fung-wong, one of the most powerful storms to hit the country this year.
In the shocking footage, the 50-meter bridge heaves and bends as the typhoon’s full force pounds the town. Locals can be heard gasping as they record the destruction from nearby homes.
“If the bridge is damaged, we’ll have to detour through another village to cross,” said resident Fronie, speaking to Good Morning America.
The massive storm slammed into the Philippines late Sunday, unleashing torrential rains, flash floods, and deadly landslides from Bicol to Ilocos.
Authorities confirmed at least eight fatalities, including three children buried in a landslide in Nueva Vizcaya and an elderly victim swept away in Mountain Province. Others drowned or were crushed when their homes collapsed.
More than 1.4 million people were forced to flee their homes, with around 318,000 still sheltering in evacuation centers as of Monday. Rescue teams struggled to reach remote mountain villages cut off by floodwaters and debris.
Across the affected provinces, walls toppled, trees were uprooted, and power lines were severed, plunging large areas into darkness. At least 14 transmission lines were damaged, while thousands of homes were destroyed.
The typhoon’s impact also paralyzed transportation, with over 325 domestic and 61 international flights canceled and 6,600 passengers stranded in ports after the coast guard suspended sea travel.
“While the typhoon has passed, its rains still pose a danger in parts of northern Luzon, including metropolitan Manila,” said disaster response official Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, confirming that rescue and relief operations are still underway.
The 1,800-kilometer-wide storm made landfall in Aurora province on Sunday night with sustained winds of 185 km/h and gusts reaching 230 km/h before moving toward the South China Sea and weakening as it neared southern Taiwan.
By the time it departed, vast sections of Luzon were submerged, and parts of Bicol were left flattened. In Navotas and Camarines Sur, residents waded through flooded streets and salvaged what little remained of their homes.
The country was already reeling from Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 224 people earlier in the week and left more than 100 missing. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency ahead of Fung-wong’s arrival, warning that back-to-back storms had pushed disaster resources to their limits.
Rescue worker Juniel Tagarino from Catbalogan City described the chaos:
“The wind was so strong and the rain was heavy. One woman died trying to save her belongings before her house collapsed.”
The Philippines faces an average of 20 typhoons each year, but survivors say this one felt especially devastating — a reminder of the nation’s ongoing vulnerability to extreme weather fueled by climate change.
Leave a Comment