Philippines typhoon leaves 10 dead

Typhoon Nanmadol began blowing toward Taiwan today after leaving at least 10 people dead and scuttling a visit by a US Navy carrier group in the Philippines, officials said.

Taiwan issued sea and land warnings and planned to evacuate about 6,000 people in its eastern and southern regions as it braced for the typhoon. Troops and rescue equipment were deployed, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said.

With its enormous cloud band, the typhoon drenched the northern Philippines with rain for days before pummelling the area with fierce wind, setting off landslides and floods and toppling walls that left at least 10 people dead and six others missing. About 20 were injured by landslides and toppled trees, said Benito Ramos, who heads the Office of Civil Defence.

Strong winds knocked down a concrete wall which hit a small eatery in the capital’s suburban Quezon City today, killing a man and injuring two others, police said.

In the northern mountain resort city of Baguio, a rubbish dump’s concrete wall collapsed and buried three shanties under tons of rubbish, killing two children. Their grandmother remained missing, Ramos said.

Seven others perished in landslides or drowned, including a fisherman whose body was found floating yesterday off eastern Catanduanes province. A decision by many villagers to flee to safety before the typhoon struck and vigilance helped reduce the number of casualties, Ramos said.

US officials postponed a Manila visit by the US Navy’s John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group originally scheduled for this weekend because of the bad weather.

The US Embassy said all tours of the aircraft carrier, as well as a reception on board, had been cancelled.

Nanmadol had sustained wind of 121mph and gusts of 143mph becoming the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines so far this year.