Storm heads to Taiwan after leaving 200,000 displaced in Philippines

PanARMENIAN.Net - Storm Fung-Wong churned towards Taiwan on Saturday, Sept 20, after killing at least five people in the Philippines, and forcing some 200,000 people into temporary shelter, including in the capital Manila, to escape massive flooding, Reuters reported.

Most schools on the main island of Luzon remained closed for a second day as a huge mopping-up operation began. Some public offices have reopened.

Fung-Wong, with winds of 95 kph (59 mph) and gusts of 120 kph, slammed in the northern tip of the Philippines on Friday, cutting power in many areas and soaking rice and corn farms and bringing the capital to a near standstill.

The storm, travelling north at 15 kph, is expected to hit the Taiwan on Monday, according to the state weather bureau.

Fung-Wong, locally known as "Mario" center is currently around 137 km northeast of Laoag City in the Ilocos province in the north. It was expected to be at 647 km north of Batanes on Monday, outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

Alexander Pama, executive-director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said five people died, including a two-year-old girl who drowned in the capital. Two were electroncuted while wading in flood waters.

Pama said seven people were injured and one more was still missing in floods.

A boat capsized in the central Philippines but all 53 crew and passengers were rescued by the navy, Pama said.

Officials have declared a state of calamity in some areas in the capital and in Cebu City in the central Philippines due to floods, that have left some parts of the city 2 meters underwater.

Trading on the city's stock exchange and local currency market was suspended on Friday and will resume on Monday. At least 40 domestic flights were grounded and six international flights were diverted by civil aviation authorities.

More than 700,000 people were affected by the storm and about 200,000 people were forced out from their homes and staying in shelter areas, disaster officials said.

Pama said some residents were rescued perching on their roofs or trapped inside their homes in Marikina and Quezon City. More than 300 areas in seven regions in the country were flooded.

Tropical storms regularly hit the Philippines, with Fung-Wong the second to hit in two weeks.

Last year, typhoon Haiyan struck in the central Philippines, killing more 6,300 people. An average of 20 typhoons hit the country every year.