Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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Philippine Typhoon Durian May Have Killed More than 450 People
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&c=718337&l=1009&ctl=1520D5E:A6F02AD83191E160B458FA087FEE119D9574F7DCC14957C0 Rescue workers
digging through mud and rubble in area struck by typhoon Disaster
officials in Philippines say more than up to 450 people may have been
killed by mudslides and flash floods caused by typhoon Durian. The
storm, which was headed for the South China Sea Saturday, left a path
of destruction in the island nation.









Residents take shelter on the riverbank in Albay province,
Philippines, after super typhoon Durian lashed the country's main
island of Luzon Rescue workers resumed digging through the mud and
rubble in villages around the slopes of the Mayon volcano in Albay
province, where most of the deaths occurred. Ash and boulders had been
piling up on the slopes of Mayon and the typhoon's winds and heavy
rains washed them loose.

For several hours late Thursday, when the storm struck, mudslides tore
through gullies, ripping out trees and leveling houses.

Albay Governor Fernando Gonzalez says his province has been
devastated. Initial relief supplies have been dispatched and the
weather cleared up Saturday making it easier to distribute the aid.
But the governor told ABS-CBN television the aid must keep on coming.

"We need food, we need clothing-second priority, we need water-third
priority. In that order. We need also doctors who would like to
volunteer," he said.

Tens of thousands of people have been affected by the destruction.
Typhoon Durian packed winds of between 150 and 225-kilometers per
hour. It has since moved away from the Philippines for the South China
Sea.

The Philippines, a nation of seven-thousand islands, is frequently
battered by typhoons and storms. The last major one to strike was in
September, when more than 200 people were killed and millions were
left without electricity or running water for days. That typhoon also
struck in the north and central region of the country.

 


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