Typhoon Man-yi: Family of seven among people killed in Philippines

At least eight people have died in the northern Philippines after high winds and torrential rain from Typhoon Man-yi triggered storm surges and landslides.

A family of seven, including an eight-year-old girl, died on Monday when a landslide buried their home in the town of Ambaguio, in the northern Luzon province of Nueva Vizcaya, officials said.

Philippines Army troops, police and villagers were searching for three other people who were believed to have been hit by the avalanche of mud, debris and uprooted trees.

A 72-year-old man was killed in Camarines Norte province, in the southern part of Luzon island, when hanging cables brought down in the winds caused his vehicle to crash.

Officials said rescuers were searching for a couple and their child after their home was swept away in rampaging rivers in northern Nueva Ecija province, in central Luzon.

More than a million people have been impacted by the typhoon and two previous storms, authorities said.

Officials added nearly 700,000 people had fled their homes and moved to emergency shelters or other locations to escape the extreme conditions.

It is one of six major storms to hit the country in the last month.

162 killed in October storms

Sustained winds reached 125mph when the typhoon slammed into the eastern island province of Catanduanes on Saturday night.

In October, Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey triggered floods and landslides which killed 162 people, with 22 still missing, government figures show.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said: “We will now carry on with the rescue of those isolated areas and the continuing relief for those who have been displaced.”

In Nueva Ecija – a major area for rice production – farmlands and villages were left with severe flooding.

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US authorises troops to help with lifesaving

Farmer Danilo Dagdagan, whose home was flooded, said: “The floodwater from the typhoon and the surrounding provinces gushed here because the elevation of the land here is lower.

“It makes our lives difficult, it’s hard for us especially for those without sufficient food.”

International assistance has been offered to the Philippines as it tries to cope with the impact of the recent storms, while the US has authorised its troops to help with lifesaving efforts.