3 dead, 400,000 evacuated as fresh storm batters Philippines

The Philippines evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and confirmed at least three deaths on Sept 26 as a severe tropical storm battered the country still feeling the effects of Super Typhoon Ragasa.

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Civil defence officials in the Bicol region, south of the capital Manila, said three people had been killed as walls collapsed and trees were uprooted by Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi, which is sweeping west by northwest at sustained speeds of 110kmh.

Evacuees in one province took cover under pews as the roof of a church where they were sheltering was ripped by the storm.

“Around 4am, the wind destroyed the door, the windows and the ceiling of the church,” said Mr Jerome Martinez, a municipal engineer in Masbate province.

“That was one of the strongest winds I have ever experienced,” he said, adding that some children suffered minor injuries requiring stitches.

Government officials raised the death toll from Super Typhoon Ragasa which swept across the northern Philippines this week on its way to China — to 14, with thousands still displaced.