CEBU, Philippines (10 Dec 2006) -- At least seven people were killed in the aftermath of a powerful typhoon that ravaged eastern and central Philippines over the weekend, relief officials said Monday. The National Disaster Coordinating Council said typhoon Utor left thousands of people homeless and without electricity in the eastern islands of Samar and Leyte and in the central islands of Panay, Romblon, Mindoro and Cebu. Among the fatalities were a 3-year-old baby girl who was crushed when a toppled tree fell on their house in Capiz province, and a 3-year-old boy who drowned when the motorized boat he was riding in capsized off Romblon Island. Some 90,000 people were evacuated from their homes, especially in Albay province, where a previous storm triggered mudslides that left more than 1,200 people dead or missing. Emergency officials said Utor's strong winds and rains also damaged or totally destroyed more than 2,400 houses. The bad weather caused the postponement of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leader's summit in Cebu City, 585 kilometres south of Manila, which was supposed to start Sunday. The weather bureau said Utor, with a maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour and gusts of 150 kilometres per hour, was spotted 220 kilometres northwest off the country's westernmost province early Monday. | | Residents cross a makeshift bridge as they relocate to a safer place in Binitayan village Daraga town due to typhoon Utor. (Jes Aznar) The agency, however, warned that Utor will continue to induce rains in the Philippines' northern island of Luzon. Utor was the 19th typhoon to hit the country this year. Meteorologists said the Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons every year since it is within the so-called "typhoon belt" where storms usually develop. SOURCE - DPA |
