Storm sets off floods and landslides in Philippines, leaving at least 14 dead

Manila: A storm set off landslides and unleashed pounding rains that flooded many northern Philippine areas overnight into Monday, leaving at least 14 people dead and prompting authorities to suspend school classes and government work in the densely populated capital region.

Tropical Storm Yagi slammed into Casiguran town in the northeastern province of Aurora Monday afternoon and gained strength with sustained winds of 85 kilometers (53 miles) per hour and gusts of 105 kph (65 mph), according to the weather bureau.

The storm, locally called Enteng, gained speed and was moving northwestward at 20 kph (12 mph) toward the country’s northernmost provinces. It was forecast to strengthen further, possibly becoming a typhoon, before blowing away toward southern China in the next two days, the weather bureau said.

At least 14 people died, mostly due to landslides and drownings, officials said. A landslide hit two small shanties on a

hillside in Antipolo city on Monday in Rizal province just to the west of the capital, killing at least three people, including a pregnant woman. Four other villagers drowned in swollen creeks, Antipolo’s disaster-mitigation officer Enrilito Bernardo Jr. told The AP by telephone.