MANILA,DEC 26
Typhoon Phanfone pummelled the central Philippines on Christmas Day, bringing a wet, miserable and terrifying holiday to millions in the mainly Catholic nation.
Police said six people were missing as the typhoon leapt from one small island to another for the second day – crumpling houses, toppling trees and blacking out cities and towns, including in popular resorts like Boracay. At the height of the festive season on Wednesday, tens of thousands were stranded at shuttered ports or evacuation centres while the rest of the region’s population cowered in rain-soaked homes.
A father, his three children and two other relatives were missing after their hut was swept away when heavy rain caused a creek to overflow near the town of Balasan, police said.
More than 16,000 people spent the night in improvised shelters in schools, gyms and government buildings as the typhoon first made landfall on Tuesday, civil defence officials said.
Scores of flights to the region also remained cancelled. AGENCIES
