Sunday, June 22, 2008

Scores Die and Ship Sinks in Storm in Philippines

By REUTERS
Published: June 22, 2008

MANILA (Reuters) — A typhoon killed about 80 people in floods and landslides in the Philippines on Saturday, and at least 4 others have died in the sinking of a ferry with more than 700 passengers and crew members.

The ship, the Princess of the Stars, owned by Sulpicio Lines, stalled in rough seas near Sibuyan Island in the central Philippines, officials said. It carried 626 passengers and 121 crew members.

The head of the coast guard, Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo, said he was still verifying the reports.

Nanette Tansingco, the mayor of a coastal town, told a radio station that at least four bodies were found.

“I sent a speedboat to check,” Ms. Tansingco said.“They saw the boat upside down with a big hole in the hull.”

The ship had left Manila on Saturday morning for the central province of Cebu.

The death toll from the storm is highest so far in a Iloilo, a central province. At least 59 people have been killed, and the death toll could rise further, the governor of Iloilo said.

In the southern Philippines, 10 people drowned and five were missing after a river burst its banks in Maguindanao Province.

In Cotabato City, a man and a child were buried in a landslide at a trash dump, the police said. Five other people also drowned.

The typhoon, Fengshen, with winds gusting at more than 120 miles per hour, is moving through the center of the Philippines.

It was expected to leave the area on Sunday and head north toward Taiwan, according to weather forecasters.

The Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, ordered cleanup and rescue operations before leaving on an eight-day state visit to the United States.

In the south, the navy used rubber boats to rescue residents stranded in chest-deep water.

The typhoon, the sixth to hit the Philippines this year, tore up trees and power lines.

Flights were canceled and ships kept in harbor.

In Boracay, an island popular with vacationers, tourists deserted the white beach and headed for bars and restaurants.

Heavy rain drenched Manila and rescue crews were prepared for flooding.

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