At least 3 die as typhoon lashes Philippines

Typhoon Cimaron battered the northern Philippines early on Monday, blasting roofs off homes.

Typhoon Cimaron battered the northern Philippines on Monday, felling trees, toppling power lines, blasting roofs off homes and leaving at least three people dead, officials said.

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Cimaron, the second typhoon to hit the north in as many months, was packing maximum winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 210 kph (130 mph).

It was forecast to exit the region in the direction of Vietnam later on Monday.

Police in Isabela province, about 330 kilometers (210 miles) northeast of Manila, reported a 29-year-old farmer drowned when his boat overturned amid strong currents.

Radio DZBB said a mother and child were killed in neighboring Aurora province. No details were available.

In Baguio city, 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Manila, where the eye of the typhoon passed Monday, a landslide buried a house, injuring a mother and her two daughters, said fire official Senior Superintendent Carlito Romero.

Nearly 30 northern and northeastern provinces were placed under a storm alert, schools were closed, government work suspended, and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on a visit to China, called for prayers Sunday. Domestic flights to the north were canceled. Although the typhoon did not appear to be drenching the mudslide-prone area as badly as feared, rising rivers made some bridges impassable. Officials said water would be released from two major dams to prevent them from overflowing.

Cimaron is a Philippine word for wild ox.

Last month, Typhoon Xangsane left 230 people dead and missing as it ripped through Manila and neighboring provinces. About 20 typhoon and tropical storms lash the country each year.