Mangkhut claims 12 in Philippines
THE STRONGEST typhoon to hit Philippines this year is set to hit southern China and Hong Kong NEARLY 150 flights were cancelled and sea travel halted
Tuguegarao (Philippines), Sept. 15: Typhoon Mangkhut lashed the Philippines with destructive winds and heavy rain that set off landslides and destroyed homes on Saturday, leaving at least 12 people dead and six missing, as southern China braced for the powerful storm.
The strongest typhoon to hit Philippines this year slammed ashore before dawn in Cagayan province on Luzon island, a breadbasket that is also a region of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces with a history of deadly landslides.
China and the Philippines agreed to postpone a visit by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi that was to start on Sunday due to the onslaught, which caused nearly 150 flights, a third of them international, to be cancelled and halted sea travel. At least three people died and six others were missing in the mountain city of Baguio after ferocious winds and rain destroyed several houses and set off landslides, which also blocked roads to the popular vacation destination, said the city’s mayor, Mauricio Domogan.
Authorities were verifying the drownings of three people, including two children who reportedly died as the typhoon approached. They also were checking to see what happened to about 70 men who reportedly returned to their coastal village in Cagayan to check on their homes as the typhoon drew closer on Friday, sparking concerns over possible storm surges.
— AP