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Eight dead after Typhoon Conson smashes Philippines

Philippine typhoon death toll rises to eight: rescuers
Manila (AFP) July 14, 2010 - The death toll from a typhoon that has wreaked havoc in the Philippines rose to eight on Wednesday, rescue officials said. Four of the victims drowned, two were crushed by an uprooted tree, while another was struck by a flying metal sheet as the typhoon raked across Manila and neighbouring provinces, according to the military and police. The cause of death for the eighth confirmed fatality was unclear. Eleven fishermen remain missing off the Bicol region southeast of the capital, said regional army spokesman Major Ronald Alcudia.

Local radio stations put the death toll at 16, but civil defence officials said they had yet to restore their downed communication links to outlying areas and were unable to confirm the other reported victims. Conson, packing maximum gusts of 120 kilometres (75 miles) an hour, hit the Philippines main island of Luzon late on Tuesday, then ripped through Manila and neighbouring areas on Wednesday.

Aquino raps forecasters after typhoon hits Philippines
Manila (AFP) July 14, 2010 - Philippine President Benigno Aquino let rip at the state weather service Wednesday for not warning the residents of Manila about a strong typhoon that pummelled the nation's capital. "This is not acceptable," Aquino told red-faced weather service officials at an emergency meeting of rescue agencies. "We rely on you to tell us where the potential problems are."

  Many of the city's 12 million residents went to bed late Tuesday having been lulled by forecasters' bulletins that Typhoon Conson would hit the northern provinces instead of Manila. However the weather service failed to mention that the disturbance had a wide radius of 300 kilometres (185 miles), meaning that although the eye of the typhoon passed north of Manila, the city still suffered from fierce winds. While there have been no reports of deaths, much of the capital suffered blackouts shortly before midnight (1600 GMT) Tuesday that continued into Wednesday morning. Uprooted trees, power pylons and roofing sheets blocked roads early Wednesday.

Flights were suspended at Manila airport and schools were closed, even though the typhoon, packing winds of 120 kilometres an hour, blew out to the South China Sea. "All the agencies have adequately met their responsibilities at this point in time but your information is sorely lacking. We have had this problem for quite a long time," Aquino said. The ill-equipped Philippine weather service came in for criticism in September last year when it failed to warn the residents of Manila about the threat from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which killed 464 people.
by Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) July 14, 2010
At least eight people were confirmed dead on Wednesday after Typhoon Conson ripped across the Philippines, sweeping shanties into the sea and bringing the nation's capital to a standstill.

Conson, the first typhoon of the year, hit the Southeast Asian archipelago late on Tuesday before sweeping over the heavily populated main island of Luzon with maximum gusts of 120 kilometres (74 miles) an hour.

"The wind howled like a child screaming," said Rigor Sambol, 52, a father of six who lives in a coastal shanty town on the outskirts of Manila that was partly destroyed.

"It was so strong, our houseboat nearly got flipped over. I had to take the children one by one to a nearby gym where they spent the evening on the cold floor."

Some of the flimsy slum homes erected by squatters along the coast were swept away entirely, leaving the shocked, drenched residents to scavenge scrap wood to build makeshift shelters, according to an AFP reporter there.

Eight people had been confirmed dead on Wednesday morning, rescue officials said.

Four of the victims drowned, two were crushed by an uprooted tree, while another was struck by a flying metal sheet. The cause of death for the eighth confirmed fatality was unclear.

Eleven fishermen also remained missing off the Bicol region southeast of the capital, army spokesman Major Ronald Alcudia said.

With communication systems down amid the chaos of the typhoon's aftermath, disaster relief officials said they were still trying to determine the extent of the damage and there were concerns the death toll could rise.

Electricity was knocked out throughout the main island of Luzon, including Manila, where fallen tree branches and other debris littered the streets on Wednesday.

Power company Meralco said more than 90 percent of Manila's 12 million residents remained without power by early Wednesday afternoon.

The capital's overhead railway system was also shut down due to the power outage, while the government closed down primary and high schools.

For those workers who did manage to get to work, it was difficult to make make telephone calls on both landline and mobile networks.

Conson blew past Luzon and into the South China Sea on Wednesday morning, but some international flights in and out of Manila were still cancelled while others were delayed.

The Philippines is in the so-called typhoon belt of the Pacific. Up to 20 cyclones sweep through the country each year, killing hundreds of people.

Conson was the first of the season, and its ferocity took Manila's citizens and authorities by surprise.

President Benigno Aquino let rip at the state weather service for not warning Manila's residents that Conson would hit the city.

"This is not acceptable," Aquino told red-faced weather service officials at an emergency meeting of rescue agencies.

"We rely on you to tell us where the potential problems are."

Many people in Manila went to bed late Tuesday having been lulled by forecasters' bulletins that Conson would hit the northern provinces instead of Manila.

However, the weather service failed to mention that the typhoon had a wide radius of 300 kilometres.

"All the agencies have adequately met their responsibilities at this point in time but your information is sorely lacking. We have had this problem for quite a long time," Aquino said.

The ill-equipped Philippine weather service came in for criticism in September last year when it failed to warn the residents of Manila about the threat from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which killed 464 people.

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