Hagupit Havoc

Typhoon Kills at Least 21 in Philippines

Downgraded to tropical storm.

At least 21 people were reported dead, many of them drowned as floodwaters rose in Borongan, the main town in Eastern Samar, where Typhoon Hagupit made first landfall, the Philippine National Red Cross said Monday. The Philippines had evacuated more than 1 million people as the powerful typhoon approached the country from the Pacific, in fear of a repeat of a superstorm last year that left more than 7,000 dead or missing. “We have confirmed reports that 21 people died in Eastern Samar, 16 of them in Borongan,” said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine National Red Cross. By Monday, Hagupit was weakening—downgraded to a tropical storm—but officials said the extent of damage was still to be determined.