'Frank' lashes Metro, Visayas
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:57:00 06/22/2008
Filed Under: Weather, Meteorological disaster, Typhoon Frank
MANILA, Philippines--Typhoon "Frank" (international codename: Fengshen) battered the Visayas and Metro Manila overnight, leaving at least six people dead, and some 700 others missing, forcing tens of thousands to evacuation centers due to floods and triggering power outages, officials said Sunday.
A passenger ferry, the M/V Princess of the Star, carrying 626 passengers and 121 crew, capsized off Sibuyan Island and rough seas have stalled rescue operations, said Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Arevalo, spokesman for the Philippine Navy.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) confirmed six deaths, three due to drowning in Antique province, two due to a landslide in Cotabato City, and another due to drowning, also in Cotabato City.
Local officials and reports have placed the toll at 20.
Three others were missing after they were carried away by flood waters, one in Murcia town, Negros Occidental province, and two in Guimaras province.
Floods, storm surges, and landslides affected 366,444 people, of which, 70,717 are in evacuation centers as of 6 a.m. Sunday, the NDCC said.
Of the total number of affected people, 182,686 were in the Western Visayas, including 155,005 in Antique province alone, the NDCC said.
The storm has stranded 5,095 passengers, 288 rolling cargo, 90 trucks, 59 passenger buses, 48 small vehicles, and eight sea vessels, the NDCC said.
Heavy rains and strong winds destroyed 127 houses and partially damaged 16 others, the NDCC said.
Power outages were reported in Odiongan town, Romblon province, Antique province, and Iloilo City, the agency said.
The military has also readied its troops and vehicles to assist in rescue and relief operations, said Lieutenant Colonel Jonas Lumawag and Captain Carlo Ferrer, spokesmen for the Philippine Marines and the military's Metro Manila command, respectively.
As of 4 a.m., the eye of "Frank," which packs maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center with gusts of up to 150 kilometers per hour, was spotted over Tayabas town in Quezon province.
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