WORLD
Typhoon Phanfone: at least 28 killed in Philippines after Christmas storm
![Typhoon Phanfone: at least 28 killed in Philippines after Christmas storm](/files/2019/3/1200x630/15774565865331326103_1200x630.jpg)
Baku, December 27, AZERTAC
A typhoon that ripped across central Philippines on Christmas Day, uprooting houses, wreaking havoc in popular tourist areas and devastating festive celebrations, has killed 28 people and left at least another 12 missing, according to The Guardian.
Typhoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, slammed into Eastern Samar province on Christmas Eve.
The storm tore roofs off houses and toppled electric posts with winds of 195km (120 miles) per hour as it cut across the cluster of islands of the Eastern Visayas region, southern Luzon and Western Visayas on Christmas Day.
Several islands were severely flooded, houses were torn apart and washed away and trees were blown down, while disaster agencies reported that many major roads had become impassable.
Areas across the archipelago battered by the storm, which made seven landfalls, included Boracay, Coron and other islands popular with tourists because of their paradise beaches. The airport at Kalibo, which services Boracay island, was badly damaged in the storm and temporarily closed.
On Thursday afternoon the province of Leyte was placed under a state of calamity due to the trail of destruction left by the typhoon.