Tropical storm leaves at least 14 dead in the Philippines

Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, swept through the northern tourist city of Antipolo.

The city’s disaster risk reduction and management officer Enrilito Bernardo Jr said the storm killed at least three people in the city, including a pregnant woman who died in a landslide.

Four others drowned in floodwaters and a further four remain missing after their house was swept away in the deluge, he added.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration, which issues flood warnings, typhoon alerts, and weather forecasts, recorded maximum sustained winds of 47mph and gusts of up to 72mph.

Flood warnings remain in multiple provinces while the capital Manila was shuttered by government order for the second day with schools closed and government workers told to remain at home on Tuesday.

The storm, which was located in the South China Sea on Tuesday morning and is expected to grow again in strength as it approaches China, left thousands of travellers stranded on Monday with sea and air travel both suspended.

A total of 34 domestic flights were suspended due to the stormy weather.

A ship anchored in Manila Bay, the Kamilla, was hit by another vessel that veered out of control due to rough waves, damaging the bridge and resulting in the boat catching fire.

The Philippine Coast Guard said all but one member of the crew were rescued by a passing tugboat with the other managing to swim to safety.

Roughly 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, with the nation considered one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

On top of monsoon seasons and frequent typhoons, the Filipino archipelago sits within the Ring of Fire around the edge of the Pacific Ocean that traces boundaries between several tectonic plates.