4 Dead and 6,000 Displaced After Penha Storm Hits Southern Philippines

JAKARTA - At least four people were killed and more than 6,000 people were displaced following the tropical storm Penha which triggered floods and landslides in southern Philippines on Friday, February 6.

Quoting AP, Friday, February 6, the tropical storm Penha hit the mainland in Surigao del Sur Province in the southeast of the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, February 5 evening.

The storm was last tracked on Friday afternoon off the coast of central Bohol Province with wind speeds of up to 55 kilometers (34 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 70 kph (43 mph), according to weather forecasters.

More than 6,000 villagers in southern Philippines have been displaced by the storm, including 5,800 who have moved to evacuation centers in southern and central provinces.

The Civil Defense Office said that teaching and learning activities were suspended in many areas.