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Typhoon rattles Philippines

July 16, 2014

A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, bringing down trees and electricity pylons and damaging homes. Several people were killed although the capital Manila was spared the worst of the winds.

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Philippinen Taifun Rammasun
Image: Reuters

Reports varied on the number of casualties after Typhoon Rammasun swept over the Philippines on Wednesday, knocking out power and felling trees in many areas. Between seven and 15 people were believed to have died, many as a result of falling trees, electricity poles or walls.

Government offices and schools closed down in the capital Manila, home to around 12 million people, as strong winds whipped the capital for around four hours. The eye of Typhoon Rammasun, called "Glenda" locally, just missed the capital, but winds up to 140 kilometers per hour (86 miles an hour) and gusts around 170 km/h still rattled Manila.

Philippinen Taifun Rammasun
Coastal shanty towns were particularly at riskImage: Reuters

Power was cut off in many parts of the capital, and at least 350,000 people in at-risk homes around the Philippines fled to emergency shelters. In Manila, those living in coastal shanty towns were the focus of relocation efforts.

"It was like a drill," Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said. "We hauled people away from dangerous seaside areas, whether they liked it or not."

Rammasun was the first typhoon of the Philippines' rainy season. The country's weather bureau said that the storm was moving away from the island chain at around 25 km/h, bound for Vietnam.

Memories of the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the country last November meant that people were generally willing to leave their homes if told they were at risk. Haiyan left at least 6,300 people dead and more than 1,000 missing.

msh/mz (AFP, AP, dpa)