Post: Typhoon Krathon Kills 5 in Northern Philippines

Five people were killed in the northern Philippines during the onslaught of Typhoon Krathon, locally known as Julian, the country's disaster agency said on Friday. Four of the five fatalities were recorded in the Ilocos Region, mostly due to drowning, while one person died in Cagayan Valley from electrocution, the agency said in a statement. The bad weather with strong winds and heavy rains mainly battered the Batanes island province, the Ilocos Region, the Cordillera mountain region, and Cagayan Valley, causing floods and landslides. Hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate their homes or seek shelter elsewhere. The agency said the estimated damage to infrastructure exceeded 700 million pesos ($12.7 million), with agricultural losses surpassing 300 million pesos. After intensifying into a super typhoon, Julian exited the Philippine area on Tuesday, headed toward Taiwan, before re-entering as a typhoon on Thursday and weakening further into a tropical depression by Friday. Source: Qatar News Agen cy