Violent storm sweeps across northern Philippines, leaving 14 dead in landslides, floods

MANILA, Philippines — A powerful storm slammed into the northern Philippines on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people in landslides, floods and swollen rivers, disaster response officials said.

Tropical Storm Yagi moved past the city of Paoay in Ilocos Norte province and into the South China Sea, packing sustained winds of 75 kilometers (47 miles) per hour and gusts of 125 kph (78 mph), the weather bureau said.

The storm was forecast to strengthen into a typhoon as it moved northwest over the Sea toward South China.

Thunderstorm warnings remained in place for most of the Philippines’ northern provinces. Residents were warned of the continuing danger of landslides in rain-soaked mountain villages and of flooding in the agricultural lowlands of Luzon, the country’s most populous region.

Local name: Enteng, Yagi intensified seasonal monsoon rains and unleashed heavy rains across Luzon, including the densely populated capital region, Metro Manila, where classes and government work remained suspended on Tuesday.

At least 14 people were killed in landslides, floods and swollen rivers in northern and central provinces, including Antipolo, a popular Catholic pilgrimage town and tourist site west of Manila, where at least three residents, including a pregnant woman, died in a hillside landslide that buried huts, and four others drowned in streams and rivers, Enrilito Bernardo Jr., a disaster relief specialist in Antipolo, told The Associated Press by telephone.

Four other villagers are still missing after their home was swept away by the flood, Bernardo said.

Thousands of travellers were stranded at ports on Monday after sea travel was temporarily suspended at several ports and 34 domestic flights were suspended due to the storm.

The training vessel M/V Kamilla — anchored in Manila Bay off the capital’s Navotas port — was struck by another vessel that lost control due to heavy waves. The bridge of the Kamilla was damaged and the vessel later caught fire, prompting 18 cadets and crew to abandon ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said a passing tugboat rescued 17 people who abandoned the vessel, while one person swam to safety.

About 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year. The archipelago lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean’s rim that is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, making the Southeast Asian country one of the world’s most disaster-prone.