Manila [Philippines], November 11: Typhoon Fung-Wong has weakened in the northern Philippines after triggering flash floods, landslides and storm surges that left at least two people dead and forced more than 1.4 million to flee their homes, officials said on Monday.
The storm slammed into the northern province of Aurora as a super typhoon late on Sunday, before losing strength, the weather bureau said. Fung-Wong was last packing sustained winds of 130 kilometres per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 160 km/h as it moved towards Taiwan.
Meteorologists said the typhoon dumped three days' worth of rain in just one day. The national disaster agency reported two confirmed deaths and said it was verifying reports that 5-year-old twins died in a landslide. More than 1,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the national civil defence office.
Over 150 cities and municipalities lost electricity, while 13 areas reported water supply interruptions, Alejandro added. School classes and government work were suspended on Monday and Tuesday in affected areas. More than 400 domestic and international flights were cancelled.
Source: Qatar Tribune
