MANILA: At least five people were killed in accidents caused by a typhoon that battered the eastern Philippines, forcing more than 91,000 people to flee their homes, officials said on Saturday (May 16).
The victims included a farmer who bled to death after being hit by shattered glass while in an evacuation centre in the town of San Policarpo in Eastern Samar province, one of the worst-hit areas, police said.
A man was electrocuted in Camarines Norte province, while a woman was crushed to death by a collapsed wall in Quezon province, police said.
Two deaths were also reported in other towns of Eastern Sama province, but details were still being verified, the national disaster risk management office said.
Tropical storm Vongfong brought destructive winds and heavy rains over the eastern provinces since Thursday, causing landslides, cutting off electricity, toppling trees, blowing off rooftops and damaging houses.
Vongfong slammed into the Philippines as a typhoon but it weakened after making six landfalls while crossing the country’s most populous island.
It was now packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 80 kph, the weather bureau said.
It was expected to be out of the Philippines by Monday.
Vongfong was the first typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. The country is battered by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year.
One of the strongest in recent memory, Typhoon Haiyan, hit the country in November 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and displacing more than 4 million. - dpa
The victims included a farmer who bled to death after being hit by shattered glass while in an evacuation centre in the town of San Policarpo in Eastern Samar province, one of the worst-hit areas, police said.
A man was electrocuted in Camarines Norte province, while a woman was crushed to death by a collapsed wall in Quezon province, police said.
Two deaths were also reported in other towns of Eastern Sama province, but details were still being verified, the national disaster risk management office said.
Tropical storm Vongfong brought destructive winds and heavy rains over the eastern provinces since Thursday, causing landslides, cutting off electricity, toppling trees, blowing off rooftops and damaging houses.
Vongfong slammed into the Philippines as a typhoon but it weakened after making six landfalls while crossing the country’s most populous island.
It was now packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 80 kph, the weather bureau said.
It was expected to be out of the Philippines by Monday.
Vongfong was the first typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. The country is battered by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year.
One of the strongest in recent memory, Typhoon Haiyan, hit the country in November 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and displacing more than 4 million. - dpa
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