Philippine Typhoon Hit, 14 Killed

Millions of people in the Philippines on Wednesday (27/07/2011), surrounded by fierce tropical storm that claimed had killed 14 people and soak a lot of land in remote areas of the country.

Nock-ten hurricanes expected to hit the middle of a densely populated Luzon Island at 1300 local time (12:00 GMT), then pour in the heavy rain there for about a day before blowing toward the South China Sea, Philippine weather agency said. The storm hit the coastal provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur in southern Luzon on Tuesday, forcing 645,000 people to flee their flooded homes, said Chairman of the Management Board and the National Disaster Risk Management Benito Ramos told AFP. "The two provinces were under water," he said.

The government is waiting for clear skies and calm seas before sending troops emergency assistance through the air and water to the provinces, said Ramos. "We can not use army trucks for street flooding," he said.

Disaster Management Council, said dozens of flights were canceled because of the storm. Ramos said 14 people had been confirmed dead so far. Most deaths occurred in the coastal areas. More than eight million people live in the plains of central Luzon, where the storm is expected Nock-ten hit on Wednesday.

Manila, the capital of the Philippines with a population of 12 million people, located about 100 kilometers south of Nock-ten lane trajectory. Schools closed across the city Wednesday as prepared to face the downpour.

About 20 storms and typhoons, some of them deadly, hit the Philippines every year. Storms killed 48 people in Luzon in May and June. Heavy rains also killed 42 people last month in the south of the country, in an area that is usually hit by typhoons and storms.