Typhoon Phanfone causes at least seven dead in central Philippines
At least seven people have died in the Philippines and twelve more are missing because of Typhoon Phanfone, which hit the central region of the country on Christmas Day with strong winds and heavy rains.
Most of the dead were registered in Batad, in the province of Iloilo, in the northeast of Panay Island, where a family was dragged along a water avenue, provincial emergency service personnel said today to the DZMM station.
The victims were not yet in the latest bulletin of the National Agency for Disaster Prevention, which said that some 1,670 people have been evacuated to provisional shelters.
The agency also indicated that the storm has caused the cancellation of 115 domestic flights and has stranded about 15,800 passengers due to the interruption of maritime transport.
The typhoon, called Ursula by the local PAGASA meteorological service, entered the South China Sea at dawn with winds of 130 kilometers per hour and gusts of 160, and is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday.
The Philippines receives between 15 and 20 typhoons every year during the rainy season, which begins around the months of May and June and usually ends between November and December.
