Typhoon slams into Philippines

2008-08-20 09:38

Manila - Typhoon Nuri slammed into the northern Philippines early on Wednesday, triggering heavy rains and warnings of possible storm surges, officials said.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 140km/h at the centre and gusts of up to 170km/h, Nuri was tracked hovering over Cagayan province in northern Luzon.

"It has made landfall. She is lashing northern Luzon," said Nathaniel Cruz, chief forecaster at the state weather bureau.

"Almost all of northern Luzon is experiencing the fury of Karen," Cruz said, referring to the local name of typhoon Nuri.

Large parts of Luzon were drenched by heavy rain, including Manila and nearby suburbs, and schools had called off classes in some affected provinces, disaster relief officials said.

"We are prepared. We are not just looking at rain and strong winds, we are also looking at storm surges and strong waves in coastal areas," said Anthony Golez, deputy administrator of the National Disaster Co-ordinating Council.

Golez said provincial capitals in Luzon had been forewarned about Nuri and that contingencies had been prepared.

The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 typhoons a year, some of them devastating. Nuri is the 12th to hit the archipelago this year.

In June, a ferry carrying over 800 people sailed into the path of Typhoon Fengshen and sank in the central Philippines. There were only 57 survivors and many of those who perished still remain trapped inside the hull of the ferry.

- AFP