'Hundreds dead' following Philippines typhoon

23/06/2008

Hundreds of people are feared dead in the Philippines following the devastating impact of Typhoon Fengshen.

The storm struck the central region of the country late on Saturday (June 21st), causing severe landslides before altering its course and moving north across a vast swathe of the archipelago.

Many of the worst-hit areas were caught largely off guard, with the last-minute change to the typhoon's direction confounding government efforts to issue warnings to at-risk areas.

As a consequence dozens of fishing boats were lost at sea - leaving at least 224 sailors dead and a further 374 missing - while some 200 people have yet to be accounted for on the island of Negros.

Further exacerbating relief efforts, a ferry with some 800 people on board overturned in choppy waters off the central island of Sibuyan.

Aid agencies based in the region say hopes are high that some of the passengers of the ill-fated MV Princess of Stars may have swum to safety, but so far only 32 survivors have been found alive.

Manila was also sorely affected, with winds lashing the capital on Sunday before the downtown metro area was inundated by flood waters and several districts experienced power outages.

While rescue efforts continue in the Philippines, however, meteorologists are now focusing their efforts on where Fengshen will hit next.

Despite weakening slightly, the typhoon still contains gusts of 185 km and according to the latest reports now poses the greatest threat to Hong Kong and Taiwan.



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