Typhoon Conson kills 14 in Philippines, as another cyclone looms

Bangkok, Sep 10 (EFE).- At least 14 people died and seven remain missing after Typhoon Conson made landfall, crossing the Philippine archipelago’s central region earlier this week, while authorities prepared Friday for the arrival of Typhoon Chanthu in the country’s north.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday in its latest update that in addition to the 14 fatalities, at least 20 people had been injured by Conson, which has damaged more than 6,400 houses and 150 roads. It made landfall for the first time Tuesday and was downgraded to a strong tropical storm Thursday.

Conson, which has affected almost 110,000 people, has forced the evacuation of about 12,000 inhabitants and caused losses estimated at 250 million Philippine pesos ($5.1 million), according to the council’s figures.

Authorities issued a new alert for the arrival of Chanthu, with sustained winds of up to 185 kmph and maximum gusts of up to 230 kmph, which will affect the northern part of Luzon island between Friday and Saturday, according to the Philippine Meteorology Department.

The department said Chanthu will cause heavy rains and waves of up to five meters in height and asked the region’s fishermen to take extreme precautions and avoid going out to sea.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines yearly, the most destructive so far having been Super Typhoon Haiyan – the largest known to make landfall – which struck Samar and Leyte islands in November 2013, killing some 7,000 people and making 200,000 people homeless.

The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change due to natural disasters and sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area that sees about 90 percent of the planet’s seismic and volcanic activity. EFE

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