Typhoon Kills 7 in Philippines; 18,000 Flee Mudflows

Typhoon Koryn slammed into the northern Philippines on Saturday, killing seven people and unleashing mudflows that forced more than 18,000 to flee for their lives, officials said.

President Fidel V. Ramos spoke of disaster across northern Luzon island after the typhoon struck before dawn, reaching peak speeds of 110 m.p.h.

“I have declared a state of calamity in 16 provinces and six cities. What is important now is the safety of lives,” Ramos told reporters after meeting with disaster control officials led by Defense Secretary Renato de Villa.

Five people were killed in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio, officials said.

One woman died in Baguio when her house fell into a ravine, and the fire department said three people drowned in a river. A 4-year-old boy also died, a Manila television station said.

A man was electrocuted in a flooded street in La Union province 150 miles north of Manila, relief officials said. Another Filipino in the nearby province of Ilocos Sur was also killed.

A 20-foot-wide torrent of mud and rocks from Mt. Pinatubo volcano snaked down the Sacobia River in Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, said civil defense director Jose Andres.

Rain flooded large parts of Manila to a depth of up to nine feet. International flights to the capital were delayed the airport flooded.

The weather bureau said the typhoon slipped out of the Philippines late Saturday afternoon.