Three dead as Typhoon Molave exits Philippines

Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 9:38 PM Posted by Beijing News


At least three people were killed and nearly 100,000 displaced in the Philippines by Typhoon Molave, as the storm gained strength before rolling away from the country Saturday, officials said.

Among the dead was a 13-year-old boy who drowned in a swollen river in suburban Caloocan city north of Manila and a 32-year-old man who was electrocuted in norther Ilocos province.

Radio reports meanwhile said a baby also drowned in central Iloilo province after her house was flooded.

With maximum winds of 95 kilometres 59 miles per hour near its centre and gusts of up to 120 kilometers 74 miles per hour, by early Saturday Molave was moving west-northwest of Batanes island, in the extreme northern Philippines.

It is forecast to be within the vicinity of southeastern China by Sunday, the state weather bureau said.

Nearly 23,000 families, or about 95,000 individuals in Manila, its surrounding suburbs, and in the northern Philippines were displaced by the storm, the Office of Civil Defence said.

The eye of Molave hit the sparsely populated Batan island group near Taiwan on Friday night as weather services upgraded it from a tropical storm into a typhoon after it caused widespread flooding that effectively shut down the Philippine capital.

Among the areas affected was Manila's Makati financial center, where the Philippine Stock Exchange also suspended work.

Sporadic heavy rains persisted in large parts of Manila early Saturday, a day after the government was forced to suspend classes and work in public offices due to flooding.

The state weather bureau said Molave was expected to bring more heavy rain as it continues to move away from the country.

About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, some causing large-scale death and destruction.





Cacace

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