Typhoon Zeb scrapes past

Typhoon Zeb scrapes past

MANILA (AFP): Typhoon Zeb hammered the eastern Philippines with gale-force winds on Tuesday but there were hopes that the country would escape major damage.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage though school holidays were declared in the eastern and northern provinces.

Weathermen said the typhoon had picked up further strength in the last six hours and now packed sustained winds of 185 kilometers an hour with gusts of up to 220 kilometers an hour.

Zeb was tracked 650 kilometers southeast of the northern town of Tuguegarao in late morning. It was bearing down on the northern tip of the main island of Luzon, weathermen said.