Tropical Cyclone Kompasu causes deaths, landslides, flooding in Philippines
- The storm drenched Luzon as it swept across the country towards the South China Sea. It will head past Hong Kong in the direction of Hainan
- Disaster officials said at least 11 were killed and seven missing in flash flooding and landslides
Severe Tropical Storm Kompasu drenched swathes of the most populous island of Luzon on Monday as it swept across the archipelago nation towards the South China Sea. Nearly 1,600 people were evacuated.
Six people, including three children, were killed in four separate landslides that buried houses in the northern province of Benguet, where two were still missing, the national disaster agency said.
Fallen rocks, uprooted trees and loosened soil blocked a main highway going up to Baguio, the mountain resort city in Benguet.
Muddy floodwaters reached the second floor of houses in some areas, while fruit and vegetable farms in the city’s outskirts were also swamped, local officials said.
Five people drowned in flash floods in nearby Cagayan province and the western province of Palawan. Five more were missing in floods in two towns in Palawan, the agency added.
Mark Timbal, a spokesman for the disaster agency, said that while Palawan was not directly in the path of Kompasu, it was also affected because the storm enhanced the southwest monsoon.
