At Least 14 Killed in Landslides and Floods as Fierce Storm Wreaks Havoc in Northern Philippines

Manila: A fierce storm was blowing out of the northern Philippines Tuesday after leaving at least 14 people dead in landslides, floods and swollen rivers, disaster-response officials said.

Tropical Storm Yagi swept past Paoay town in Ilocos Norte province into the South China Sea with sustained winds of up to 75 kilometers (47 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 125 kph (78 mph), according to the weather bureau.

It was forecast to strengthen into a typhoon as it barrels northwestward over the sea toward southern China.

Storm warnings remained in most northern Philippine provinces, where residents were warned of the lingering danger of landslides in rain-soaked mountain villages and floodings in the farming lowlands of Luzon, the country’s most populous region.

Locally called Enteng, Yagi enhanced seasonal monsoon rains and unleashed downpours across Luzon, including in the densely populated capital region, metropolitan Manila, where classes and government work remained suspended Tuesday.

At least 14 people died in landslides, floods and swollen rivers in northern and central provinces, including in Antipolo, a popular Roman Catholic pilgrimage city and tourism destination west of Manila where at least three residents, including a pregnant woman, died in a hillside landslide that buried shanties and four others drowned in creeks and rivers, Antipolo’s disaster-mitigation officer Enrilito Bernardo Jr. told The Associated Press by telephone.

Four other villagers remained missing after their house was swept away in the deluge, Bernardo said.

Thousands of travelers were stranded on Monday after sea travel was temporarily halted in several ports and 34 domestic flights were suspended due to the stormy weather.

A training ship, M/V Kamilla — which was anchored in Manila Bay off the Navotas port in the capital — was hit by another vessel that veered out of control due to rough waves. Kamilla’s bridge was damaged and it later caught fire, prompting its 18 cadets and crewmembers to abandon the ship, the Philippine coast guard said.

A passing tugboat rescued 17 of those who abandoned the ship and one swam to safety, the coast guard said.

About 20 typhoons and storms batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago lies in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur , making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

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