Super typhoon batters Philippines, 1 million in shelters
Manila: A super typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines with ferocious winds early Sunday, knocking down power in several towns and prompting the evacuation of about a million people in its likely path, including in the capital where the main airport was shut down.
Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn with sustained winds of 225 kilometres (140 miles) per hour and gusts of 280 kph (174 mph) equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.
It was blowing west toward densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon that hit a week ago and left at least 22 dead.
There were initial reports of deaths, including a man who was reportedly pinned by a fallen tree in Albay province, but authorities said they were still verifying the details.
About two hours after it blew ashore, the typhoon battered Albay with a slightly weaker sustained winds but more powerful gusts of 310 kph (193 mph), forecasters said.
Diane Joco scrambled with her husband, parents, siblings and cousin out of their flimsy houses on stilts on the shores of Calauag town in Quezon province when the wind began to batter their wooden homes. Goni was forecast to hit parts of Quezon Sunday afternoon.
Like many villagers, Joco and relatives decided not to evacuate and stayed in a neighbour's sturdier house close to the coast to watch over their home.
We should be nearby to be able to repair any damage to our house quickly, otherwise it will fall apart and be blown away. We have no other house, Joco told The Associated Press by phone. She suddenly yelled as she spoke, saying a part of the tin roof of her neighbor's house was nearly ripped off by a frightening gust.
Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara told a televised meeting of top disaster-response officials that at least two people died in his province while mudflows from Mayon volcano endangered some villagers. Other officials, however, said they were still checking those reports.
Ricardo Jalad, who heads the government's disaster-response agency, said the typhoon's destructive force can cause major damage. There are so many people who are really in vulnerable areas, he said.
The Philippine weather agency reinforced those concerns, saying that within the next 12 hours, people will experience catastrophic violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall associated with the region of the eyewall and inner rain bands."
Residents have been warned of likely landslides, massive flooding, storm surges of up to 5 metres (16 feet) and powerful winds that can blow away shanties.
One of the most powerful typhoons in the world this year, Goni has evoked memories of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which left more than 7,300 people dead and missing, flattened entire villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines.
Jalad said nearly a million people have been preemptively moved into emergency shelters. He warned of storm surges that could inundate coastal villages, including in Manila Bay.
Forecasters said the typhoon's eye may pass about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of metropolitan Manila, the sprawling capital of more than 13 million people, around nightfall on Sunday.
Manila's main airport was ordered shut down for 24 hours from Sunday to Monday and airlines cancelled dozens of international and domestic flights. The military and national police, along with the coast guard, have been put on full alert.
Hundreds of COVID-19 patients were moved to hospitals and hotels from tent quarantine centres, Jalad said. The war-like typhoon preparations will further strain government resources, which have been drained by months of coronavirus outbreaks. The Philippines has the second-largest number of confirmed infections in Southeast Asia.
The Philippines is lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year. It's also located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common and makes the poor Southeast Asian nation one of the world's most disaster-prone.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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