Several dead after Typhoon Phanfone batters Philippines
MANiLA, Philippines - At least 11 people were reported killed and six others missing on Thursday after Typhoon Phanfone battered several central Philippine islands on Wednesday, Christmas Day, making seven landfalls before heading out to the South China Sea.
The typhoon brought chaos and a wet, miserable holiday season to millions in the mainly Catholic nation. Thousands were stranded at shuttered ports, while dozens of flights were cancelled.
Images posted on social media showed some areas in Capiz and Iloilo provinces underwater. Thousands were forced to evacuate before the typhoon.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer news website reported that two people died in the province of Leyte, while eight were killed in Iloilo and Capiz. One died in the province of Biliran.
The Office of Civil Defense was quoted as saying that it is verifying reports of a dozen more fatalities.
Six others were missing in Iloilo, although ABS-CBN television channel reported that the number could be as high as 12.
As of Thursday morning, the Philippine weather agency, PAGASA, said that Phanfone was reported 155km (96 miles) west of the province of Palawan, with maximum winds of up to 130km/h (80 mph) and gustiness of up to 160km/h (99 mph).
Al Jazeera's Barnaby Lo, reporting from Manila, said it could take several days before stranded passengers are allowed to travel.
"I am very sad and I have been crying for days. I told my child I can’t do anything," one passenger told Al Jazeera. "They did not let us board the ferry because there is typhoon - and we understand that."
Phanfone also hit Boracay, Coron and other holiday destinations that are famed for their white-sand beaches and popular with foreign tourists.
The airport at Kalibo, which services Boracay, was badly damaged, according to a Korean tourist who was stranded there.
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