At least 16 people were reported dead as Typhoon Nesat crossed the Philippines' main island late on Tuesday. The storm smashed crop-growing provinces and brought Manila to a near standstill as rain flooded roads and villages and cut power supplies. Among the dead following the typhoon was a 22-month-old boy, and four others were missing, the disaster agency said. Crop damage in the northern Cagayan Valley area may begin to be assessed on Wednesday, when government offices and financial markets in the capital are set to reopen. Large portions of the capital Manila, a city of 13 million, were without power for much of Tuesday. Officials shut some rail networks as a precaution after high winds cut power lines and toppled electric posts. Government offices, the central bank and schools were also closed on Tuesday. According to reports, strong winds uprooted trees and tore off some billboards along major roads. Debris blocked roads in the capital and provinces, and officials warned of the risk of landslides from heavy rains in mountainous regions. Manila residents in low-lying areas waded through floods to seek higher ground and evacuation centers. Winds tore the tin roof from a gymnasium used as an evacuation centre in the poor, crowded Tondo district in the capital, sending evacuees scampering for new shelter. There are worries among residents that as the water subsides, there could be further deaths reported from the storm. BM
