Residents wade through a flooded street in the aftermath of Typhoon Mangkhut in Calumpit, Bulacan, the Philippines on Sept. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP)
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed sadness at the reports of loss of life and extensive destruction caused by Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines.
In a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the secretary-general commended the leadership of the Philippine authorities for their preparedness efforts and response to the needs of the affected communities.
He noted the UN system in-country is already working to support the government-led response efforts and stands ready to scale up assistance as requested.
Guterres extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
The death toll from Typhoon Mangkhut has climbed to 65, Philippine police said on Monday.
The typhoon, which made landfall at 1:40 a.m. local time on Saturday in the northern Philippines, exited this Southeast Asian country on Saturday night.
However, the strongest typhoon in the region so far this year left a trail of destruction across the Philippines's main Luzon island.
The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said nearly 220,000 residents were still being served inside and outside evacuation centers provided by local governments Monday morning.
The government declared a total of seven provinces and cities under a state of calamity due to the typhoon.
Mangkhut is the 15th typhoon to slam the Philippines so far this year. Typhoons hit the Philippines around 19 times a year, bringing strong winds and heavy rains, resulting in flooding, great damage to crops, houses and building, and deaths.
In 2013, super typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people. In 2009, typhoon Ketsana also caused massive flooding in Metro Manila, killing more than 700.
