Tropical storm Nock-ten claims 20 lives

TROPICAL Storm Nock-ten killed 20 people and forced more than 125,000 families into evacuation centers in the Philippines today, local broadcaster ABS-CBN News reported.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Director Benito Ramos said most of the fatalities were from the coastal province of Albay, while the rest came from Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Marinduque, Cavite, Quezon and Iloilo.

Ramos said 645,137 Filipinos were now being housed in evacuation camps as Nock-ten, known in the Philippines as Juaning, continued to ravage the country. Nine people were missing this morning.

AFP reported that Nock-ten was expected to hit the heavily populated central section of the main Luzon Island this afternoon, before blowing out into the South China Sea some time tomorrow.

School were closed today in Manila, about 100 kilometres to the south of Nock-ten’s direct path.