Typhoon batters Philippines

11 killed, many people trapped by flashfloods

The typhoon, packing winds of up to 185 kph, was the third major storm to hit the Philippines’ main island of Luzon in just five weeks, with the previous two claiming more than 1,100 lives.

In Manila, areas that have been flooded since tropical storm Ketsana struck in late September were hit with more heavy rain, while residents in other districts were forced onto their roofs to escape rising waters.

“We need help because the waters have risen. We need rubber boats and choppers,” Ariel Magcales, the mayor of Santa Cruz town on Manila’s outskirts, said in a radio interview.
“Some people are on the roofs of their houses.”

Military and police rescue boats worked to save people who were trapped by a flashflood, officials said.

One man was found dead and his one-year-old baby was missing after they were washed away while trying to cross an overflowing creek in a rural area on the outskirts of Manila, the military said.

Three people were reported dead and five others were missing in the Laguna province just south of Manila, the local disaster monitoring office said.

Mass evacuation

The Philippine authorities evacuated more than 1,15,000 people in nine provinces east and south of Manila in the storm’s path on main Luzon island, the National Disaster Coordinating Council reported.