Storm, landslides and floods of northern Philippines leaving 14 dead and many casualties.

Disaster response officials reported that at least 14 people had died in landslides, floods, and swollen rivers due to a strong storm that was blowing out of the northern Philippines on Tuesday.

According to the weather agency, Tropical Storm Yagi blew by Paoay town in the province of Ilocos Norte and into the South China Sea with sustained winds of up to 75 kph (47 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 125 kph (78 mph).

It was predicted to intensify into a typhoon as it hurtles across the sea to the northwest and approaches southern China.

Most northern Philippine provinces were still under storm warnings, alerting locals to the persistent risk of landslides in wet mountain communities and flooding in the agricultural lowlands of Luzon, the nation's most populous region.  see here

Yagi, also known as Enteng in the local dialect, intensified the periodic monsoon rains and unleashed torrential downpours throughout Luzon, notably in the heavily populated metropolitan Manila area, where government and educational activities were suspended on Tuesday.

At least three residents, including a pregnant woman, perished in a hillside landslide that buried shanties, and four more people drowned in creeks and rivers in Antipolo, a popular Roman Catholic pilgrimage city and tourist destination west of Manila. Enrilito Bernardo Jr., Antipolo's disaster-mitigation officer, told The Associated Press over the phone that at least 14 people died in landslides, floods, and swollen rivers in northern and central provinces, including Antipolo.

According to Bernardo, their house was washed away by the flood, leaving four other villagers missing.

Due to the stormy weather, 34 domestic flights were canceled and sea traffic was briefly suspended at many ports, leaving thousands of people stuck on Monday. see here

While docked in Manila Bay near the capital's Navotas port, the training ship M/V Kamilla was struck by another vessel that swerved out of control because of choppy waves. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, Kamilla's bridge sustained damage and eventually caught fire, forcing its eighteen cadets and crew members to flee the ship.

According to the coast guard, one person swam to safety and 17 others who had abandoned ship were saved by a passing tugboat. see here

The Philippines is hit by about 20 hurricanes and typhoons per year. Southeast Asian countries are among the most vulnerable to natural disasters due to the archipelago's location within the "Pacific Ring of Fire," an area that stretches along the majority of the Pacific Ocean's rim and is known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.