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Agence France-Presse

Associated Press

A strong typhoon that barrelled through central Philippines left at least 28 people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, devastating Christmas celebrations in the predominantly Catholic country.
Typhoon Phanfone stranded many people at sea and in airports at the peak of holiday travel, set off landslides, engulfed low-lying villages with floods, destroyed houses, downed trees and electrical posts and knocked out power in entire provinces.
Most of the deaths reported by officials were due to drowning, falling trees and accidental electrocution.
A father, his three children and another relative were among those missing in hard-hit Iloilo province after a swollen river inundated their shanty, officials said.


One disaster response officer described the battered coastal town of Batad in Iloilo province as a “ghost town” on Christmas Day.
“You can’t see anybody because there was a total blackout, you can’t hear anything. The town looked like a ghost town,” Cindy Ferrer of the regional Office of the Civil Defence said by phone.
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,” said Jonathan Pablito, police chief of Malay town in Alkan province, which is on an island neighbouring Boracay.
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.
“We have no news from coastguard if ships were allowed to sail. Since the 24th … all those going to the island and coming from the island weren’t able to cross,” Pablito said.

The airport at Kalibo town in Aklan, which services Boracay, was badly damaged, according to a Korean tourist who was stranded there.
“Roads remain blocked, but some efforts have been made to clear away the damage. It’s pretty bad,” Jung Byung-joon said via Instagram messenger.
“Everything within 100 metres of the airport looks broken. There are a lot of frustrated people at the airport as flights have been cancelled,” Jung said. “Taxis are still running but it’s windy and still raining so no one wants to leave the airport, including me.”

Another Korean tourist stuck at the damaged airport said she had been unable to make contact with her friend on Borocay on Thursday.
“I tried to call my friend in Boracay today and wasn’t able to get through. Maybe something isn’t working,” said Dahae Gong via Instagram. “I don’t know when I will be able to go home.”
The storm weakened slightly on Thursday as it blew into the South China Sea with sustained winds of 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour and gusts of 150 kph (93 mph) after lashing island after island with fierce winds and pounding rain on Christmas Day, the weather agency said.
Typhoon Kammuri flooding forces tens of thousands from their homes in Philippines
The typhoon slammed into Eastern Samar province on Christmas Eve and then barrelled across the archipelago’s central region on Christmas, slamming into seven coastal towns and island provinces without losing power, government forecasters said.
Provincial officials, army troops, police and volunteers spent Christmas away from home to tend to thousands of displaced residents in town gymnasiums and schools turned into emergency shelters.
More than 25,000 people were stranded in sea ports across the central region and outlying provinces after the coast guard prohibited ferries and cargo ships from venturing into dangerously choppy waters. Dozens of domestic flights to and from the region were cancelled.
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.
“It’s like the younger sibling of Haiyan. It’s less destructive, but it followed a similar path,” said Cindy Ferrer, an information officer at the Western Visayas region’s disaster bureau.
The Philippines is the first major land mass facing the Pacific typhoon belt, and is hit by an average of about 20 major storms a year.
Many of the storms are deadly, and they typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure, keeping millions of people perennially poor.
The Southeast Asian nation is also located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions often occur, making the country of more than 100 million people one of the world’s most disaster prone.


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The Philippines

At least 28 dead after Typhoon Phanfone lashes central Philippines on Christmas Day

Villagers walk around a cargo ship washed ashore on Christmas Day in the typhoon-hit city of Ormoc, Leyte province in the central Philippines. Photo: EPA-EFE

epa08089779 Villagers clear debris in the typhoon-hit city of Ormoc, Philippines, 25 December 2019. Typhoon Phanfone, (locally known as Ursula), made landfall in the Philippines with sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour and caused cancellation at airports, seaports, and bus stations, affecting thousands of travelers on Christmas Eve. Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year in the country, an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands with a population that is mostly Catholic. EPA-EFE/ROBERT DEJON

A motorist commutes past a blown down galvanised roof from a house damaged during the height of Typhoon Phanfone in Tacloban, Leyte province in the central Philippines on December 25, 2019. - Typhoon Phanfone pummelled the central Philippines on Christmas Day, bringing a wet and miserable holiday season to millions in the mainly Catholic nation. (Photo by Bobbie ALOTA / AFP)

Typhoon Phanfone brings misery for Philippines on Christmas Day

A damaged home in the typhoon-hit city of Ormoc, Philippines. Photo: EPA-EFE

epa08089575 Villagers wade through water next to a flooded home on Christmas day in the typhoon-hit city of Ormoc, Philippines, 25 December 2019. Typhoon Phanfone, (locally known as Ursula), made landfall in the Philippines with sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour and caused cancellation at airports, seaports, and bus stations, affecting thousands of travelers on Christmas eve. Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year in the country, an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands with a population that is mostly Catholic. EPA-EFE/ROBERT DEJON

A resident looks at a house damaged at the height of Typhoon Phanfone in Tacloban, Leyte province in the central Philippines on December 25, 2019. - Typhoon Phanfone pummelled the central Philippines on Christmas Day, bringing a wet and miserable holiday season to millions in the mainly Catholic nation. (Photo by Bobbie ALOTA / AFP)

epa08088673 A crowd of stranded passengers wait at a bus terminal on Christmas eve in Manila, Philippines, 24 December 2019. According to reports, thousands of travelers are stranded in different seaports, airports, and bus terminals due to cancellation trips in anticipation of approaching Typhoon Phanfone. According to the government weather bureau latest forecast, Phanfone will strengthen into a typhoon as it expected to make landfall in central Phillippines, and will possibly trigger floods and landslides during the Christmas holiday. EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG

A flooded home in the typhoon-hit city of Ormoc, Philippines. Photo: EPA-EFE

Typhoon Kammuri flooding forces tens of thousands from their homes in Philippines

A house is surrounded by flooded fields after Typhoon Kammuri hit parts of the north of the Philippines. Photo: AFP

epa08048321 Filipinos clear debris on a landslide in the town of Santa Praxedes, Cagayan province, Philippines, 06 December 2019. According to reports, at least 17 people have been killed in the Philippines while hundreds of thousands were evacuated as Typhoon Kammuri pounded large parts of the country, bringing heavy rains and high velocity winds and damaging a number of properties, officials said. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said some 114,552 families or 458,020 persons were being aided in evacuation centers after they fled their homes over fears of flooding and landslides. EPA-EFE/BERNIE SIPIN DELA CRUZ

TOPSHOT - Residents walk on a rice field with washed up debris caused by Typhoon Kammuri in Ilagan on December 5, 2019. - The number of people killed by Typhoon Kammuri's pounding of the Philippines this week has hit 13, officials said December 5, as authorities confirmed reports of storm-related deaths. (Photo by BILL VISAYA / AFP)

Manila airport reopens after Typhoon Kammuri leaves trail of destruction in Philippines

Residents stand among their destroyed houses after Typhoon Kammuri hit Sorsogon Province in the Philippines. Photo: Reuters

A general view of empty airline check-in counters inside the terminal three of the Manila international airport on December 3, 2019, hours before the deadline of the closure of the airport due to Typhoon Kamurri. - Typhoon Kammuri lashed the Philippines with fierce winds and heavy rain, as hundreds of thousands took refuge in shelters and the capital Manila prepared to shut down its international airport over safety concerns. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

Residents stand among their damaged houses after Typhoon Kammuri hit Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines, December 2, 2019. REUTERS/Nino Luces NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

People walk over sand bags as they try to avoid a flooded portion of the entrance of the venues of the South East Asian games after rains from Typhoon Kammuri poured in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. A powerful typhoon was blowing across the Philippines on Tuesday after slamming ashore overnight in an eastern province, damaging houses and an airport and knocking out power after tens of thousands of people fled to safer ground. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

One dead and thousands evacuated as Typhoon Kammuri hits Philippines

Villagers look on as strong winds blow trees next to houses in the town of Calabanga, Camarines sur province, Philippines, ahead of Typhoon Kammuri. Photo: EPA-EFE

epa08038695 A handout photo made available by NASA Worldview shows a satellite image of Typhoon Kammuri approaching the Philippines, 02 December 2019. According to weather forecast, a typhoon signal was raised in eastern Philippines as Typhoon Kammuri, known locally as Tisoy, is heading towards Luzon, the country's largest and most populous island, warning residents living along the typhoon path to take precautionary measures of possible flash floods on low-lying areas and landslides on mountainous villages. Typhoon Kammuri has intensified ahead of its landfall, which is expected for late 02 December or early 03 December in the nation's east, as it continued to threaten the country's hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. EPA-EFE/NASA Worldview HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Trees sway near buildings as Typhoon Kammuri, known locally as Typhoon Tisoy, makes landfall in Gamay, Northern Samar, Philippines, December 2, 2019, in this still image from video obtained via social media. Gladys Castillo Vidal via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

epa08038421 Villagers ride on a truck as they evacuate in anticipation of an approaching typhoon in the town of Lagonoy, Camarines sur province, Philippines, 01 December 2019 (Issued on 02 December 2019). According to the latest government weather bureau forecast, a typhoon signal was raised in eastern Philippines as Typhoon Kimmuri heads towards the main island Luzon, warning residents living along the typhoon path to take precautionary measures of possible flash floods on low-lying areas and landslides on mountainous villages. Typhoon Kammuri intensified ahead of its landfall as it continued to threaten the country's hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. EPA-EFE/JONNEL MARIBOJOC

epa08038426 Villagers disembark from a truck as they evacuate in anticipation of an approaching typhoon in the town of Lagonoy, Camarines sur province, Philippines, 01 December 2019 (Issued on 02 December 2019). According to the latest government weather bureau forecast, a typhoon signal was raised in eastern Philippines as Typhoon Kimmuri heads towards the main island Luzon, warning residents living along the typhoon path to take precautionary measures of possible flash floods on low-lying areas and landslides on mountainous villages. Typhoon Kammuri intensified ahead of its landfall as it continued to threaten the country's hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. EPA-EFE/JONNEL MARIBOJOC

Southern Philippines rocked by 6.3-magnitude earthquake, leaving four people dead

A burning mall in General Santos City. Photo: EPA

A store owner guards the remains of his store amidst debris after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the night before in the city of Digos, Davao del Sur province on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on October 17, 2019. - A child was killed in the strong 6.4-magnitude quake that hit the southern Philippines on October 16, a local mayor said, as houses collapsed, power was knocked out and a shopping mall burst into flames. (Photo by Manman Dejeto / AFP)

Firemen try to put out a fire inside a mall following a 6.4-magnitude quake in General Santos City, in southern island of Mindanao, on October 16, 2019. - A strong and shallow 6.4-magnitude quake hit the southern Philippines on October 16, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, sending hundreds rushing out of a shopping mall where local television said an elderly man was injured. (Photo by EDWIN ESPEJO / AFP)

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Typhoon Phanfone, with winds of 195 kilometres an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electricity pylons as it cut across the Philippines
A full assessment of the damage has not been completed, but disaster agency officials said at least 28 people had been confirmed killed in the Visayas



Typhoon Phanfone, with winds of 195 kilometres an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electricity pylons as it cut across the Philippines on Wednesday.


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At least 28 dead after Typhoon Phanfone lashes central Philippines on Christmas Day

Typhoon Phanfone, with winds of 195 kilometres an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electricity pylons as it cut across the Philippines A full assessment of the damage has not been completed, but disaster agency officials said at least 28 people had been confirmed killed in the Visayas

Typhoon Phanfone, with winds of 195 kilometres an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electricity pylons as it cut across the Philippines

A full assessment of the damage has not been completed, but disaster agency officials said at least 28 people had been confirmed killed in the Visayas