28 killed, 12 missing in Philippines Typhoon Phanfone

The national disaster risk reduction office on Friday said over 28 people were killed in typhoon Phanfone’s onslaught in the Philippines, with 12 still missing.

The office said of the victims, 13 were from the province of Iloilo, 463km south of Manila, where the fatalities included a family of six who were swept away by raging floods.

It added that the other victims were from the provinces of Capiz, Aklan, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar and Cebu.

Mark Timbal, spokesman for the national disaster risk reduction office said most of the dead were hit by falling trees or drowned.

He said a 13-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man were also electrocuted in separate accidents in Leyte and Southern Leyte.

Timbal added that the 12 missing persons were from Iloilo, Capiz and Eastern Samar.

Phanfone battered eastern and central provinces on Christmas Day, forcing over 58,000 residents to stay in evacuation centres as gale-force winds tore off rooftops and destroyed less sturdy houses.

The weather bureau said the typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 120km per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 150 kph as it moved north-west away from the country.

It added that the Typhoon was no longer affecting the country, but the tail-end of a cold front would bring heavy rain over the northern Philippines.

Phanfone was the 21st cyclone to hit the Philippines in 2019.

One of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan, hit the country in November 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and displacing more than 4 million.