Manila, Oct. 27, (dpa/GNA) – Typhoon Molave blew out of the Philippines on Tuesday, leaving at least two people dead and 12 fishermen missing after dozens of boats capsized in stormy seas, officials said.
About 30 fishing boats capsized off the provinces of Batangas and Bataan after being battered by giant waves, the national disaster risk reduction management office said.
Molave slammed into the country’s eastern coast on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that toppled power lines and trees and ripped off roofs.
It was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 170 kph as it moved west at 25 kph towards Vietnam, the weather bureau said.
A farmer drowned after a tricycle he was riding in was swept by floods in Quezon province, local officials said.
Police reported a second fatality in the northern province of Cagayan, but no details were available.
More than 150,000 residents forced to flee their homes in the affected areas have begun to return home as weather improved, local officials said.
But many areas were still without electricity, as floods prevented emergency teams from reaching some areas to fix toppled power posts and lines.
Molave was the 17th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. The country is battered by an average of 20 cyclones every year.
One of the strongest in recent memory, Typhoon Haiyan, hit the country in November 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and displacing more than 4 million.
GNA