Typhoon kills 20 in Philippines
200KMPH Phanfone razed houses as it ravaged the central part of the country
MANILA: A typhoon that swept across remote villages and popular tourist areas of the central Philippines on Christmas day claimed at least 20 lives, authorities said on Thursday.
Typhoon Phanfone, with gusts reaching 200 kilometres an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electric posts as it ripped through the central Philippines on Wednesday. Videos from the typhoon’s path showed fallen trees and strong winds pummelling flimsy houses. Local disaster officials cut felled trees to clear blocked roads.
At least 16 people were killed in villages and towns in the Visayas, the central third of the Philippines, according to officials.
Phanfone also hit Boracay, Coron and other holiday destinations that are famed for their white-sand beaches and popular with foreign tourists.
Mobile phone and internet access on Boracay was cut during the storm and the networks remained down on Thursday, making assessment of the damage there difficult.
“Still, communication lines are down. Electricity is still down,” Jonathan Pablito, police chief of Malay town in Alkan province, which is on an island neighbouring Boracay, told AFP.
Pablito said ferry services between Boracay and Aklan - the main way to travel to and from the holiday island - were still not operating on Thursday, even though the storm had passed.
The airport at Kalibo town in Aklan, which services Boracay, was badly damaged.
Though much weaker, Phanfone tracked a similar path as Super Typhoon Haiyan - the country’s deadliest storm on record which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.