Typhoon Phanfone Kills at Least 16 People in the Philippines

(Bloomberg) -- Typhoon Phanfone killed at least 16 people and left six others missing in Visayas island in central Philippines before heading out to the sea.

Locally called Ursula, Phanfone unleashed destructive winds and heavy rains that inundated swathes of agricultural and residential areas, authorities said. Thousands of travelers had holiday plans disrupted while hundreds of residents spent Christmas in evacuation centers in Asia’s largest Catholic country.

Thirteen people died in Western Visayas and three others in the eastern part of the island, including a policeman who was electrocuted when his patrol vehicle hit a toppled electric post, regional disaster agencies said. Several roads remained impassable in Samar and Leyte provinces, reports showed.

State weather bureau Pagasa located the typhoon 235 kilometers (146 miles) northwest of Coron, Palawan province. It packed sustained winds of 120 km per hour and gusts up to 150 kph, the weather agency said in its 11 a.m. report Thursday. It’s forecast to exit the Philippines on Saturday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ditas Lopez in Manila at dlopez55@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecilia Yap at cyap19@bloomberg.net, Claire Jiao, Andreo Calonzo

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