September 26

Super typhoon Noru slammed Luzon island in the Philippines with heavy rainfall and winds since Sunday afternoon, leaving five people dead, as it blew away from the Southeast Asian country on Monday.

Bulacan province Governor Daniel Fernando said Monday morning that a flash flood washed away five rescuers who were conducting rescue operations in San Miguel town, north of Manila. Some parts of the town are still under muddy water.

The national disaster agency has yet to report the incident.

On Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos conducted an aerial inspection of three provinces north of Manila hit by the cyclone. He is also expected to visit Quezon province, where Noru made landfall on Sunday afternoon, to check on the damage.

"The whole range of assistance is prepared and ready to go," he told a news conference.

Noru is the 11th and the most powerful cyclone to enter the Philippines this year.

On average, the archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons yearly, some of which are intense and destructive.

xinhua