Typhoon kills three in Philippines on Christmas Day

A powerful typhoon left three dead and threatened to bring heavy rains and winds to the heavily-populated Philippine capital as it dragged its way across the archipelago on Monday, spoiling the Christmas holidays.

Typhoon Nock-Ten, which made landfall on the eastern island province of Catanduanes on Sunday, is forecast to move westward towards the country’s heartland, packing winds of 215 kilometers (134 miles) per hour. A couple was reported killed by a flood while an elderly man was crushed by a falling wall, governor of the storm-ravaged eastern province of Albay Al Bichara said on local television.

More than 383,000 people have fled their homes while over 80 domestic and international flights have been canceled, the civil defense office said, as the unusually late typhoon distruptedChristmas celebrations in the largely Christian nation. The government weather station said Nock-Ten is moving northwest at 20 kilometers per hour and is expected to affect Manila and the surrounding area later in the day.

The bustling metropolis of about 13 million was eerily quiet the day after Christmas with the usual holiday revelers staying indoors as the storm approached.

The civil defense office said the capital could suffer “heavy to intense rains, flash floods, and severe winds,” with rescue boats ready to be deployed in case rivers overflow.

“Our local disaster councils are on red alert. We have pre-positioned relief supplies and rescue and (road) clearing equipment in Metro Manila,” said Mina Marasigan, spokeswoman for the country’s disaster monitoring council.

The coastguard on Sunday ordered the beaches south of Manila to be cleared of holidaymakers by Monday, while residents of the capital’s seaside slums were warned to leave their homes.

The storm previously cut off electricity to millions and forced government agencies to order evacuations of whole communities in the eastern region of Bicol which felt the brunt of the storm on Christmas day.

The Punch