At least 8 dead, more than 685,000 displaced in Philippines storm

MANILA, Philippines — At least 8 people were killed in the Philippines due to typhoon Man-Yi, the sixth major tropical storm to batter the archipelago in a month, officials said on Monday.

The weather bureau said Man-Yi, originally categorized as a super typhoon, had weakened to become a severe tropical storm with maximum winds of 110 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 135 km/h, as it moved away from the Philippines.

More than 685,000 people were forced to flee their homes in north-eastern provinces, after authorities had warned of “potentially dangerous and life threatening situation” brought about by Man-Yi, locally called Pepito.

The typhoon felled trees and electrical poles, blew away rooftops, flattened houses made of light materials, and triggered floods and storm surges that eroded and cracked roads in coastal communities.

Seven people were killed in a landslide in Ambaguio town in Nueva Vizcaya province north of Manila, disaster officials said.

Man-Yi first made landfall in the eastern province of Catanduanes on Saturday.

“Though Pepito was strong, the impact was not as bad as we feared,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told reporters.