MANILA - Typhoon Phanfone pummelled the central Philippines on Christmas Day, bringing a wet, miserable and terrifying holiday to millions in the mainly Catholic nation.
Police said six people were missing as the typhoon leapt from one small island to another for the second day -- crumpling houses, toppling trees and blacking out cities and towns, including in popular resorts like Boracay.
At the height of the festive season on Wednesday, tens of thousands were stranded at shuttered ports or evacuation centres while the rest of the region’s population cowered in rain-soaked homes.
With sustained gusts of 195 kilometres (121 miles) an hour -- which can knock down small trees and destroy flimsy houses -- the typhoon was on track to hit the island resort of Coron overnight, the weather service said.
A recent study by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank said the most frequent storms lop one percent off the Philippines’ economic output, with the stronger ones cutting GDP by nearly three percent. (AFP)