Storm Kills 12 in Philippines, Heads for Japan

A tropical storm swirled out to sea off the northern Philippines on Monday.

A tropical storm swirled out to sea off the northern Philippines on Monday after killing 12 people, destroying homes and flooding rice paddies, weather and disaster officials said.

Halong, a tropical storm with winds of 95 km per hour at its centre, lost strength as it made landfall on Luzon's northwestern region on Sunday, and was headed to southern Japan by early Tuesday.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported 12 people had died, about half of them pinned down by fallen trees or hit by flying debris in the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union and Zambales.

About 35,000 people were affected by the storm, most of them marooned by floods and landslides. Wide areas remained without electricity as strong winds toppled electric posts and tripped power lines.

"It would take at least a month to restore 100 percent power in my province," said Amado Espino, the governor of Pangasinan, one of two provinces hardest hit by Halong.

Espino said about 158 million pesos ($3.7 million) worth of crops such as rice and vegetables were destroyed by floods and hundreds of houses made of light material were damaged by strong winds.

In nearby Zambales province, troops were sent to help evacuate hundreds of people from coastal villages after huge waves swept away dozens of houses.

Landslides and floods are common in the Philippines, which is lashed by about 20 typhoons each year.

In late 2006, 1,200 people were killed, including hundreds swept to the sea, when flash floods rampaged through low-lying areas in Legaspi City in the east.