Up to 11 reported dead as Tropical Storm Yagi lashes Philippines | Weather News

Schools and government offices shut down in capital Manila, while ferry services and domestic flights are suspended.

A fierce tropical storm has caused floods and landslides that have killed up to 11 people in the Philippines.

Tropical Storm Yagi lashed the north of the country overnight into Monday. The heavy rains flooded many areas and set off landslides. Newswire reports say nine to 11 people have been killed.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters each year typically between late June and October, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens.

Yagi brushed past the Bicol region southeast of the capital, Manila, overnight on Sunday and was expected later on Monday to make landfall on the northeast coast of the main island of Luzon.

Schools and government offices across Manila were shut down as a precaution, while ferry services in affected areas were suspended and 29 domestic flights were cancelled.

Three people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a landslide in the Manila suburb of Antipolo, a city information officer told the AFP news agency. The bodies of four other people, all drowning victims, were also recovered on Monday.

Yagi also lashed the eastern city of Naga, killing two people, including a baby girl who drowned as floodwaters rose, rescuers said.

More than 300 people remained at evacuation camps on Monday, with local officials saying the floodwaters in the city of 210,000 people were slow to ebb due to high tide.

Separate landslides killed two people and damaged five houses in the central city of Cebu on Sunday, the local disaster office said.

In July, powerful Typhoon Gaemi triggered heavy rain and massive flooding in the Philippines, resulting in at least 22 deaths.