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