(Reuters) – A strong typhoon was moving out of the Philippines on Monday, after plunging into darkness wide northern swathes of the country and inundating farmland, but there were no reports of lives lost, civil defense officials said.
Typhoon Kalmaegi, packing winds of 120 kph (75 mph) at its center, with some gusts of up to 150 kph, was moving into the South China Sea, and was expected to leave by Monday night.
Kalmaegi, known locally as “Luis”, was spotted 455 kms (283 miles) west of Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province shortly after mid-day, moving at 30 kph toward southern China.
Thousands of people who were temporarily displaced were starting to return home, said Alexander Pama, the chief of a national rescue panel, adding that no casualty had been reported.
“Some areas in the north are still without electricity, like Kalinga and Apayao provinces, but our emergency workers are working to restore power,” said Pama, the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Rescue officials were also getting reports of extensive damage to rice farms, he added, but declined to give estimates.
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