Severe storm hits northern Philippines after landslides and floods kill 14 people

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful storm swept across the northern Philippines on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people in landslides, floods and high river waters, disaster officials said.

Tropical Storm Yagi moved past the city of Paoay in the province of Ilocos Norte into the South China Sea with sustained wind speeds of up to 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 125 km/h, according to the weather bureau.

The storm is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon as it heads northwest across the sea toward southern China.

Storm warnings remained in effect in most of the Philippines' northern provinces, with residents warned of the ongoing risk of landslides in rain-soaked mountain villages and flooding in the agricultural lowlands of Luzon, the country's most populous region.

Yagi, locally called Enteng, intensified seasonal monsoon rains and triggered heavy downpours across Luzon, including the densely populated capital region of Manila, where classes and government work remained suspended on Tuesday.

At least 14 people were killed in landslides, floods and river flooding in northern and central provinces, including in Antipolo, a popular pilgrimage and tourist destination west of Manila. At least three residents, including a pregnant woman, died in a landslide on a mountainside that buried huts, and four others drowned in streams and rivers, Antipolo disaster management officer Enrilito Bernardo Jr. told the Associated Press by telephone.

Four other villagers are still missing after their homes were washed away by the flood, Bernardo said.

Thousands of travelers were stranded on Monday after maritime traffic was temporarily halted at several ports and 34 domestic flights were suspended due to stormy weather.

A training ship, M/V Kamilla – anchored in Manila Bay off the capital's Navotas port – was rammed by another vessel that went out of control due to strong waves. The Kamilla's bridge was damaged and later caught fire, prompting the 18 cadets and crew to abandon ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

A passing tugboat rescued 17 of those who had abandoned the ship, and one was able to swim to safety, the coast guard said.

Every year, the Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms. The archipelago lies in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region along the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, making the Southeast Asian country one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.