Typhoon pounds Philippines killing 17
Sunday, June 22, 2008 at 11:06 am Under World News Alerts
Navy and coast guard ships battled huge waves and strong winds to reach a stranded ferry carrying more than 740 people after Typhoon Fengshen battered the country killing 17.
Rescue vessels aborted an initial attempt to get to the MV Princess of Stars after it ran aground near Sibuyan island, but efforts resumed amid stormy weather Sunday, coast guard chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said.
Fengshen lashed the central Philippines for about four hours on Saturday (June 21), setting off landslides and floods, knocking out power, and blowing off roofs from houses. Packing sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 93 mph 150 kph, the typhoon shifted course today to the northwest and battered the capital Manila at dawn, chief government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said.
In southern Maguindanao province, at least 14 people drowned in flash floods yesterday, including 10 who were swept away from riverside homes, said provincial administrator
Norie Unas. Five others were missing.
Meanwhile, the 23,824-ton ferry, with 626 passengers and 121 crew members on board, was “dead in the water” after its engine failed around noon yesterday, Tamayo said. Port captain Nestor Ponteres said the ferry’s owner, Sulpicio Lines, had lost radio contact with the ship and the fate of its passengers remained unknown.
“A lot of efforts have been done to send off rescue boats, but we really can’t get through the very rough weather,” Tamayo said.
(PTI)
( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)
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