Typhoon Yutu Leaves 7 Dead, 30 Trapped in Philippine Landslides

(Bloomberg) -- At least 10 people were killed and about 20 are missing in a trail of landslides in the mountainous region of northern Philippines after the devastation caused by Typhoon Yutu, according to government authorities.

Rescuers were still searching for at least 16 people trapped in a landslide at a government building in Natonin town in Luzon’s Mountain Province, according to the disaster-monitoring agency. Four of those trapped since late afternoon of Tuesday in an unfinished Public Works Department building were confirmed dead while five who were injured have been rescued.

At least six others were killed in separate mudslides also in Natonin and in other mountainous provinces of Ifugao and Kalinga, according to separate government reports. At least four people reported swept away by swollen rivers haven’t been found.

Mudslides in surrounding areas are making it difficult to reach Natonin and other towns and speed up rescue efforts, the disaster-monitoring agency said. A bridge linking the northern provinces of Cagayan and Isabela was destroyed by heavy flooding, the Public Works Department said on its Facebook page. Some roads in Isabela remain impassable as trees were knocked down by Yutu’s winds, preventing the delivery of relief goods, DZBB radio reported.

An estimated 112.2 million pesos ($2.1 million) worth of farm output, mostly rice, were damaged in farmlands in northern and central Luzon, according to the Agriculture Department.

Yutu continues to weaken while moving over the South China Sea, with maximum winds of 85 kilometers (52.8 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 105 kilometers per hour, according to the 5 p.m. report by the Philippine weather bureau. All storm signals were lifted.

Yutu is the 18th tropical storm to hit the Philippines in 2018 where about 20 cyclones pass through each year. In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people in the Southeast Asian nation. Last month, Category 5 storm Mangkhut killed at least 82 people, including dozens after a landslide in Benguet province, and damaged almost $500 million worth of farm output.

Mangkhut slammed into the Philippines’ main island before striking Hong Kong. At their peak, both Mangkhut and Yutu had winds of 180 miles per hour.

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