Seven Dead as Typhoon Nesat Strikes Philippines
At least seven people were killed as Typhoon Nesat smashed the Philippines on Tuesday, authorities said, with the capital Manila enduring waist-deep floods, blackouts and dramatic storm surges.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms annually, many of them deadly, but the government said Nesat was one of the largest the country had faced this year, with its rain and wind path twice as big as average.
"This storm is very intense, the rain is strong and winds are powerful... we are hearing of rivers about to burst their banks, and there are evacuations ongoing in different areas," civil defense chief Benito Ramos told Agence France Presse.
"We do not have exact figures on how big the damage is... as the storm is still battering us."
However the civil defense office confirmed at least seven people had died, four of them in Manila when a building collapsed.
Nesat slammed into the main island of Luzon before dawn, bringing maximum sustained winds of up to 140 kilometers an hour and gusts clocking in at 170 kilometers an hour.
It later weakened while slicing through Luzon, but dumped heavy rains throughout the day across the whole island that is home to about 48 million people.
Parts of the capital, a sprawling megacity of more than 12 million, endured waist-deep flooding, with some of the worst impacts seen around the historic bayside area.
Huge waves crashed into Manila Bay's seawall, sending water spraying over into the picturesque Roxas Boulevard and closing one of the city's main arteries to traffic.
The ground floor of Manila Hospital, which sits on the boulevard facing the bay, was submerged in knee-deep waters, forcing medical staff to relocate patients to the second floor, radio station DZBB said.
The five-star Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel, located on the bay, was also evacuated, while the U.S. embassy was partly submerged, according to rescue workers.
Nearly two million households suffered power outages in the capital and surrounding areas, according to the Manila Electric Company, and many people remained without electricity by nightfall.
Amid the chaos, all schools were suspended and government offices were closed, while dozens of domestic flights in and out of the capital were cancelled.
The Philippine Stock Exchange suspended trading, and Manila's main overhead railway system ground to a halt due to power failures.
A controlled release of water from the Angat Dam in Bulacan province just north of Manila on Tuesday flooded around 25 towns, provincial governor Willy Alvarado said, though there were no reports of casualties.
"We will continue evacuating people into the night," he said on state radio.
The state weather bureau said Nesat was expected to blow into the South China Sea by Wednesday, although bad weather would likely persist for most of the week.
Source: Agence France Presse
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