229 inlander's dead in Philippines typhoon
Pastor Dale Morgan
229 inlander's dead in Philippines typhoon*
From correspondents in Iloilo
June 23, 2008 04:40am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
AT least 229 people are confirmed dead and at least six missing after
Typhoon Fengshen ravaged the central and southern Philippines, Red Cross
and civil defence officials said today.
The toll does not include those dead or missing from a ferry that sank
in the central Philippines with more than 800 people aboard. Four people
have been confirmed dead and there are four survivors from that accident.
The rest are unaccounted for.
The central province of Iloilo has suffered the heaviest losses after
being hit by the typhoon yesterday, with 101 dead, Philippine Red Cross
chairman Richard Gordon said.
Other fatalities were recorded in the neighbouring provinces of Romblon,
Cotabato, Antique and Capiz, Mr Gordon said.
The civil defence office recorded 26 fatalities in the southern island
of Mindanao.
"This (toll) will definitely rise dramatically when we get the listings
from the ship," he said, referring to the Princess of the Stars ferry
that sank off Sibuyan island amid rough seas yesterday.
Floodwaters in Iloilo rose so swiftly that many residents were forced to
take refuge on rooftops or in the branches of tall trees, said
provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada.
The flooding in Iloilo eased today, allowing vehicles to reach
once-flooded areas, Mr Mejorada said. Electricity was knocked out in
Iloilo and surrounding areas and officials do not expect power to be
restored for about a week.
Telephone lines and mobile phone towers were down in many areas.
Manila and surrounding areas were lashed by the typhoon in the early
hours of today, with power knocked out in large parts of the city and
many domestic and international flights cancelled.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or damage in the capital but
the Education Department cancelled classes on all levels in Metro Manila
and surrounding areas tomorrow.
The typhoon has continued to move north-west, passing Metropolitan
Manila and over the northern half of the main island of Luzon.
Packing maximum winds of 120km/h near the centre, it swept out into the
South China Sea around 6pm (8pm AEST) today, off the coastal town of
Dasol, 230km north of Manila.