Powerful typhoon hits Philippines, kills one

Manila_(dpa) _ A child drowned as a powerful typhoon on Saturday hit several provinces in the Philippines, triggering flashfloods, landslides and widespread power outages, officials said.

Dozens of houses in coastal areas were swept away by huge waves when Typhoon Mirinae hit land late Friday in Quezon province, 120 kilometres south-east of Manila.

The lone fatality was reported in Pagsanjan town in Laguna province, 55 kilometres south of Manila, according to Mayor Emilio Ramon Ejercito III.

Ejercito said the water in the town river rose suddenly after the nearby dam of a hydroelectric power plant released water without warning.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, spokesman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said a landslide rendered impassable a major road in the eastern province of Rizal, while flashfloods swept away a bridge in nearby Batangas province.

Torres said Mirinae, with sustained winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 160 kph, caused widespread power outages in the eastern provinces Camarines Norte, Quezon, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas and the suburbs of Manila.

The NDCC said 105,472 people were forced to flee their homes to escape the wrath of Mirinae.

The strong winds of Mirinae uprooted trees, toppled electric posts and tore roofs off houses.

Relief officials said at least 50 houses were swept away by sudden rise of waves in the lakeshore town of Cardona province, 45 kilometres east of Manila.

About 50 houses were also destroyed by strong winds brought about by Mirinae in Ternate town in nearby Cavite province.

The weather bureau said Mirinae was moving at 24 kph and was expected to be out over the sea by Sunday.

More than 8,000 passengers were stranded in ports around the affected provinces after the coastguard suspended sea travel due to strong waves brought by Mirinae.

At least 50 domestic and international flights were suspended overnight due to the bad weather.

Authorities have also asked people to skip going to the cemeteries at the weekend.

Millions of Filipinos usually visit the graves of their dead relatives on or before November 1, the traditional day for honouring the dead.

Mirinae pummelled the country three weeks after back-to-back storms wreaked havoc in Manila and the northern provinces, killing nearly 1,000 people and affecting more than 8 million. dpa jg se