Philippines: Typhoon Rammasun Kills 38 and Cuts Power of Millions

A devastating typhoon that has killed 38 people and injured ten has also left millions without power in central Philippines.

According to authorities, Typhoon Rammasun injured ten people and left eight people missing in addition to the death toll.

Those killed were mostly outside and hit by falling trees and flying debris in the powerful storm.

Over 530,000 people have sought refuge in evacuation centres as millions in the country's southeast provinces were left without power in Rammasun's aftermath.

The island of Luzon holds a population of nearly 45 million but officials have only managed to restore power to less than half of those affected by the storm.

Rammasun destroyed 7,000 houses and damaged 19,000, according to the executive director of the National Disaster Agency, Alexander Pama.

Pama also said that the damage to crops in the Bicol region, southeast of Manila, would amount to approximately 668 million pesos ($15 million).

Governor of Quezon, David Suarez, said that the province was to declare a state of calamity following the passing of Rammasun.

"Last night we had difficulty going around because many trees and fallen poles are blocking highways and roads," he said, after seven people died in Quezon.

The typhoon is now heading northwest towards China and is expected to land around midday local time on Friday between the island of Hainan and the southern province of Guangdong.

While cyclone monitor Tropical Storm Risk downgraded Rammasun to a Category One Storm on a scale of one to five, it said that the typhoon would increase in strength to a category two within 24 hours.