Manila: The death toll from tropical
storm Nock-ten rose to 52 in the Philippines as another
approaching storm left two more people dead and caused a large
ship to sink, the civil defence office said on Sunday.
Tropical storm Mufia was today about 1,000 kilometres
east of the country, bringing heavy rain and triggering a
tornado, said civil defence deputy officer Florentino Sison.
As Mufia approached, a fishing boat capsized due to
heavy rain just north of Manila last week, leaving two of the
crew dead, said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council.
Another person was injured by a freak tornado in the
same area on Friday, also due to Mufia, Sison added.
"It (Mufia) did not have a direct effect but it has
affected the local weather situation, causing a tornado,
flooding and heavy rains, leading to the mishap with the
fishermen," Sison said.
Today, a passenger and cargo ship, the 2,400-tonne MV
Trans Asia Malaysia, was hit by strong waves, causing it to
list and sink but the coast guard and nearby vessels managed
to rescue all 155 aboard, authorities said.
Local coast guard chief Commodore Athelo Ybanez said
initial reports showed that the ropes holding down the
vessel's cargo of motor vehicles and foodstuffs snapped due to
the rough seas, causing the ship to list.
Mufia, named after a Chinese flower, is moving
northward and is not expected to hit land in the Philippines,
the government weather station said.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Nock-ten's rampage
through the country in the previous week rose to 52 dead and
27 missing as more reports came in from storm-hit provinces in
the archipelago.
Most of those killed were drowned or buried in
landslides, while virtually all of the missing were fishermen
who were at sea when the storm hit its peak between Tuesday
and Thursday, the council said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, July 31, 2011, 19:30