At least six people are dead and 18 missing after Typhoon Nock-Ten lashed the Philippines over the Christmas holiday, the government said yesterday as it tried to assess the damage.
The unusually late storm first hit eastern provinces on Christmas Day, flooding roads and farms, destroying homes and damaging ships as it crossed the archipelago, although the highly-populated Philippine capital, Manila, was spared.
In the worst incident, a ferry known as the MV Starlight Atlantic sank off the coastal province of Batangas, killing one and leaving 18 crewmen missing, the Philippine Coast Guard reported after confirming the number of people on board.
Five others were killed by floods and falling objects knocked down when the storm hit, bearing gusts of 235kph, local officials said.
Typhoon Nock-Ten knocked out power in many eastern provinces, with energy officials unsure when electrical services would be restored, Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokeswoman Mina Marasigan.
More than 429,000 people were pre-emptively evacuated from their homes in vulnerable areas and more than 330 flights were canceled due to the typhoon, official figures showed, while houses and infrastructure also took a beating.
“We saw many houses destroyed by the strong winds. Infrastructure like schools and hospitals as well. We are still awaiting the exact figures of how many houses were destroyed, on the exact cost of damage,” Marasigan told reporters.
Typhoon Nock-Ten was expected to carry heavy rains and winds to Manila, home to 13 million residents, but the typhoon lost force as it crossed the eastern islands.
It yesterday left the main Philippine island of Luzon heading west to the South China Sea.
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