Floods kill 11, quakes jar nerves in RP

Floods kill 11, quakes jar nerves in RP

MANILA (Agencies): At least 11 people were killed and more than 80,000 fled their homes when a tropical storm pounded the Philippines' most populous island of Luzon for the second day on Wednesday, officials said.

Relief agencies said seven people drowned in various parts of Luzon, including Manila, two died after being crushed by falling objects near the capital and a man and his wife were killed inside their house when it was hit by a landslide in northern Baguio city.

Parts of Manila and 47 towns north of the capital were submerged, forcing about 82,000 to flee to evacuation centers, officials said.

While the storm raged, three earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from four to 5.2 on the Richter Scale shook the Batanes island group off Luzon, rattling nerves but causing no casualty or damage.

A more powerful typhoon, named Kirogi, also approached the country with winds gusting up to 200 kph but the weather bureau said it was veering north and would likely hit the southern islands of Japan.

Floods of up to three meters deep submerged houses in low- lying towns around the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, a former U.S. naval base, and rescue teams used rubber boats to rescue marooned residents, port officials said.

The floods were caused by a tropical storm, locally named Edeng, which slammed across the mainly rice- and corn-growing areas in the northern area of Luzon.

There were no immediate estimates of damage to crops. The slow-moving storm packed maximum center winds of 55 kph, the weather bureau said.

The Philippines is hit by 20 to 22 typhoons a year and an average of five quakes daily, most of them only felt by measuring instruments.

Executive Secretary Rolando Zamora suspended work in all government offices as of midday on Wednesday. "In view of the continuous heavy rains and the flooding of the streets in Metro Manila today ... work in all government offices including government-owned and controlled corporations is hereby suspended at 12:01 today," a memorandum circular from the office of Zamora said.

Zamora said government offices with vital functions will have to retain only a minimal workforce.

The education department canceled classes at elementary and high schools because of flash floods in metropolitan Manila. Some colleges followed suit as a number of roads were submerged under flood waters.

Trading of the Philippine peso in the afternoon was suspended due to deteriorating weather conditions in Manila, the Bankers Association of the Philippines said.

At the end of morning trade, the peso stood at a weighted average of 43.646 to the dollar against Tuesday's close of 43.535.

But commercial airline flights were not disrupted, airport officials said.

The heavy rains also briefly knocked out power supplies in the north of the country. Power authority officials opened the gates of four hydro-electric dams north of Manila to prevent water from overflowing and worsening the floods.