Typhoon kills six, cuts off towns in RP

Typhoon kills six, cuts off towns in RP

PHILIPPINES: The Philippines declared a "state of calamity" in six provinces on Tuesday after Typhoon Nida killed at least six people and displaced thousands as it swept past the eastern part of the country.

Packing winds of 160 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 195 kph, the typhoon caused floods and landslides in the Bicol region of the main island of Luzon, and was heading toward southern Japan, disaster officials and radio stations said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed all six provinces in the Bicol region and two eastern Visayas provinces in the central Philippines under a state of calamity, marshaling all available resources to help typhoon-affected communities.

One radio station said three fishermen died when their boat capsized off the coast of Camarines Norte province and two people drowned while trying to cross swollen rivers in Camarines Sur.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said one man was killed by lightning on the island of Panay. --Reuters