12 die, 23 missing in Philippine typhoon

A powerful typhoon left at least 12 people dead in the Philippines, then blew toward Japan today as a weaker tropical storm, officials said.

Twenty-three other people remained missing from the storm, named Mitag.

The latest fatalities occurred when a landslide killed a 6-year-old boy and a 69-year-old man in mountainous Kalinga province in the north, the Office of Civil Defense reported.

The missing included two families with eight members each whose houses were hit by landslides in Pinukpuk town.

Disaster-relief officials said nearly 450,000 people were affected by Mitag, with more than 200,000 people moved to evacuation centers.

After hitting land in Isabela province late Sunday, the storm veered toward the country’s mountainous northern provinces, where authorities evacuated thousands of people because of fears of landslides.

The typhoon flooded at least 50 villages in Isabela, a province of more than a million people. A swollen river in the provincial capital, Ilagan, engulfed at least 10 houses, officials said.

In nearby Cagayan province, strong winds toppled trees and knocked down power poles, Gov. Alvaro Antonio said. The province’s rice industry suffered losses.

“We were just one or two weeks away from harvest time. I’m afraid we’ve lost everything to the flood and strong winds,” Antonio said by telephone.

The Agriculture Department estimated losses at $2.5 million, a fraction of the $246 million incurred during last year’s typhoons.

A landslide Sunday covered a road in the resort town of Pagudpud, in Ilocos Norte province, blocking buses and cars but apparently causing no injuries. Troops were deployed to clear the road.