One killed as typhoon hits RP

One killed as typhoon hits RP

MANILA (Reuter): A Panamanian-registered ship sent out distress signals and one person was crushed to death by a falling wall as Typhoon Tim pounded the northern Philippines yesterday, officials said.

Navy chief Vice Admiral Virgilio Marcelo ordered a patrol ship to help the MV Guyue after it radioed it was having steering problems off central Mindoro Island. The ship had 31 crew members on board but no other details were available, the Navy said.

In nearby Bulacan province, a concrete wall toppled by high winds crashed into a house, killing one person, police said.

Three persons were missing and 39 were rescued off Bohol Island in the central Philippines when an inter-island ferry capsized in choppy seas on Saturday, the Navy said.

The weather bureau placed the entire main island of Luzon under a storm alert as Tim, packing center winds of 180 kph (111 mph) pummelled northern provinces on its way to Taiwan.