Families evacuated due to typhoon in Philippines

MANILA - Some 9,000 families have already evacuated to safer places as Typhoon Bophat (local name Pablo) made a landfall at 4:45 am in Banganga town in southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental, a senior government official said Tuesday.

So far there was "zero casualty", said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Benito Ramos in a television interview. ?

"The number of evacuees could increase," he said, noting that there are nearly 1,000 identified evacuation centers.

He said that power supply in seven municipalities in Surigao del Sur have been shut off to prevent any short circuit as strong winds and heavy rains battered the areas.

The highway between Butuan City to Agusan del Sur has been closed to traffic due to high level of flood, particularly in Sta. Josefa town in Agusan del Sur, he added.

At least 7,000 passengers have been stranded in different ports in central and southern Philippines and classes have been suspended in the areas affected, Ramos said.

A total of 80 flights were also canceled due to the weather disturbance, he added.