Typhoon Nock-Ten continues on deadly path over Philippines

A powerful typhoon that battered the Philippines on Christmas Day leaving at least four people dead and destroying homes roared over a congested region near Manila yesterday.

A passenger ferry rests by the shore after being swept off course by typhoon Nock-Ten off Batangas province south of Manila. Picture: AP

Officials said Typhoon Nock-Ten was slightly weaker but still packed fierce winds.

It cut power to five provinces at the height of Christmas celebrations and displaced tens of thousands of villagers and travellers in Asia’s largest Catholic nation.

A farmer died after being pinned by a fallen tree in Quezon province and three other villagers, including a couple who were swept by a flash flood, died in Albay province, south-east of Manila, after the typhoon made landfall in Casiguran province on Sunday night, police said.

Nock-Ten, locally known as Nina, then blew westwards across mountainous and island provinces, damaging homes, uprooting trees and knocking down communications.

Although it had weakened, the typhoon still had sustained winds of up to 80mph and gusts of 133mph, government forecasters said, as it blew over the heavily populated provinces of Batangas and Cavite, south of Manila, yesterday morning. It was expected to exit over the South China Sea later in the day.

A cargo ship with an unspecified number of crewmen radioed for help as their vessel started to sink off Batangas, while another ran aground and turned on its side in the province’s Mabini town, the coast guard said.

It said it had sent vessels to rescue the crewmen of both ships.

The storm was one of the strongest to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over five million in 2014.

But officials in some provinces found it difficult to convince people to abandon their Christmas celebrations and head for the shelters. Some said they had to impose forced evacuations.

“Some residents just refused to leave their homes even when I warned them that you can face what amounts to a death penalty,” said Cedric Daep, a disaster-response official in Albay.

Shopping malls were ordered to close early on Christmas Day to encourage people to remain indoors.

But Mr Daep said: “At the height of the typhoon, cars were still being driven around and people were out walking. We warned them enough, but we just can’t control their mind.