Typhoon Rammasun kills ten, evacuates 1.5 lakh people in Philippines 17-07-2014
MANILA: A typhoon killed at least 10 people as it
churned across the Philippines and hit the capital, prompting the evacuation of
almost 150,000 people and shutting financial markets, government offices and
schools, rescue officials said on Wednesday.
The eye of Typhoon Rammasun, the strongest storm to
hit the country this year, passed to the south of Manila on Wednesday after
cutting a path through eastern islands, toppling trees and power lines and
causing electrocutions and blackouts.
It brought storm surges to Manila Bay and prompted
disaster officials to evacuate slum-dwellers on the capital's outskirts.
Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National
Red Cross, said there was minimal damage in the capital but staff were trying
to rescue people trapped by fallen debris in Batangas City to the south where
two people were electrocuted.
“We have not received reports of major flooding in
Metro Manila because the typhoon did not bring rain, but the winds were strong,”
he said.
Parts of the Philippines are still recovering from
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the biggest cyclones known to have made landfall
anywhere. It killed more than 6,100 people last November in the central
provinces, many in tsunami-like sea surges, and left millions homeless.
Rhea Catada, who works for Oxfam in Tacloban, which
suffered the brunt of Haiyan, said thousands of people in tents and coastal
villages had been evacuated to higher ground since Monday.
“They are scared because their experiences during
Haiyan last year are still fresh,” she said. “Now they are evacuating
voluntarily and leaving behind their belongings.”
Tropical Storm Risk, which monitors cyclones, labelled
Rammasun a category-two storm on a scale of one to five as it headed west into
the South China Sea. Super typhoon Haiyan was category five.
A 25-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a
falling electricity pole as Rammasun hit the east coast on Tuesday, the
Philippine disaster agency said. A pregnant woman was killed when a house wall
collapsed in Lucena City in Quezon province south of the capital.
Nearly 150,000 people have been evacuated from their
homes in low-lying and coastal areas. More than 60 international and domestic
flights have been cancelled over the past two days.
Trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange and
Philippine Dealing System, used for foreign exchange trading, were suspended
after government offices were ordered shut. |