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10 killed, 88,000 families flee homes as ‘Mina’ whips Luzon


Typhoon “Mina" (Mitag) slammed into the northeastern Philippines and killed at least 10 people, the Associated Press reported Monday night. Meanwhile, over 88,000 families were affected by the typhoon in four regions, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. A Philippine Air Force jet with two pilots also went missing in the foul weather while searching for 26 Filipinos whose fishing boat sank last week near the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, the air force said. Two villagers were also reported missing when raging river currents swept away their house in the northern mountain province of Apayao, officials said. Most of the typhoon fatalities occurred over the weekend in the eastern provinces of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, before “Mina" changed course and roared into the coastal town of Palanan, further north in Isabela province. "Mina" weakened into a tropical storm later Monday and was moving away from the northern Philippines with maximum sustained winds of 110 kph (68 mph) and gusts of up to 140 kph (87 mph), the weather bureau reported. After hitting land in Isabela late Sunday, the typhoon veered toward the country's mountainous northern provinces, where authorities evacuated thousands of people due to fears of landslides. The typhoon flooded at least 50 villages in Isabela, a province of more than a million people where most were without power. In nearby Cagayan province, strong winds toppled trees and knocked down power poles, cutting off electricity in the province of nearly a million, Gov. Alvaro Antonio said. The province's rice industry suffered losses. The Agriculture Department estimated losses at US$2.5 million (€1.7 million), still a fraction of the US$246 million incurred during last year's typhoons. A landslide covered a road in the resort town of Pagudpud in northern Ilocos Norte province, apparently causing no injuries. Classes were suspended in several provinces, partly because some school buildings were used to shelter evacuees. "Mina" has been the most erratic of the 13 typhoons and major storms that have hit the Philippines this year. It first headed for the populous Bicol region, where more than 250,000 people were evacuated, but shifted Saturday to the north. Meanwhile, the NDCC said that total of 88,317 families or 399,033 persons were affected by “Mina" in four regions as of early Monday evening. Of the said number, 50,586 families or 231,437 persons were evacuated to 642 centers, according to the NDCC. Most of the evacuees — 49,562 families or 227,227 persons — came from the Bicol region who reside in low-lying, lahar-prone, and coastal areas. In Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), the NDCC said 859 families or 3,361 persons were evacuated to 52 centers. The agency’s report added that a total of 177 houses were damaged by “Mina." Meanwhile, the NDCC said the number of missing persons rose to four after two pilots of Air Force S-211 aircraft went missing in the vicinity of Kalayaan Group of Islands. The pilots, identified as captains Bonifacio Soriano and Gavino Mercado, were reportedly into search and rescue operations for a missing fishing vessel before their disappearance. The other reportedly missing persons were Felipe Abawag and Reiner Abawag, who both came from the Cordillera Autonomous Region. The number of fatalities remains at eight, identified as Arjay Evita Mago, Roger Madrelejos, Estela Ceres, Bernardo Agpoon, Eustaquio Borosa, Joseph Brocante, Leticia Sasil, and Roberto Pabilando Sr. – AP, GMANews.TV
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