Typhoon Durian killed 146 people in the Philippines after heavy rains and howling winds triggered landslides from a volcanic mountain.
MANILA: Typhoon Durian killed 146 people in the Philippines after heavy rains and howling winds triggered landslides from a volcanic mountain, the head of the local Red Cross said on Friday.
Villages close to Mount Mayon, around 320 km south of Manila, were covered in mud and rocks after Durian dislodged mounds of volcanic debris from its slopes.
"Our initial reports showed a total of 146 people were killed in three areas buried by mudslides", Richard Gordon said, adding that 75 people were still missing.
One of the Philippines most active volcanoes, Mayon raised fears of a major eruption in August after months of spewing lava and boulders.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the military to assist medical teams in reaching submerged villages. Disaster reports from other provinces in the central Bicol region, where rice and coconuts are grown, were sketchy after power lines were cut, mobile phone signals down and roads blocked.
The area around Mount Mayon was bathed in sunshine on Friday, just hours after torrential rain and winds of up to 225 kph tore through the area.
"That's the only thing beautiful today that we've been able to experience", Albay Governor Fernando Gonzales said, referring to the sunny weather.
Durian left a trail of destruction across the central and northern Philippines, affecting nearly 14,000 people as flooding and storm winds damaged homes, cut power lines and halted sea travel.
Durian, which was one notch below a category 5 super typhoon when it crashed into the Southeast Asian archipelago on Thursday, has now moved into the South China Sea and is expected to weaken into a tropical storm over the next few days as it approaches Vietnam.
On the island of Marinduque, trees were uprooted, lamp posts wrenched out and roofs swept from homes.
"It's the worst in our history. Almost all houses were damaged by the typhoon in the province", Congressman Edmund Reyes said.
Australia's Lafayette Mining Ltd said operations at its gold mine in Albay province had been interrupted by the typhoon and requested a halt in the trading of its shares to give it time to assess the damage. It will give an update on December 4
The typhoon skirted Manila, which was crowned by an early morning rainbow after a night of driving rain and high winds. Offices and schools were closed for a national holiday. Named after a pungent and spiky Asian fruit, Durian is the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in 3 months. Forecasters expect there will be one more typhoon before year end.
In September, 213 people were killed when Typhoon Xangsane battered the north and centre of the country, leaving millions without electricity or running water for days. Xangsane also killed dozens in Vietnam.
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