Typhoon Julian kills five in northern Philippines

Five people died in the northern Philippines during the onslaught of Typhoon Krathon, locally known as Julian, the country's disaster agency said on Friday. Four of the five fatalities were recorded in the Ilocos Region, mostly due to drowning, while one person died in Cagayan Valley from electrocution, dpa quoted the agency as saying. Hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate their homes or seek shelter elsewhere. The agency said the estimated damage to infrastructure exceeded 700 million pesos ($12.7 million), with agricultural losses surpassing 300 million pesos. After intensifying into a super typhoon, Julian exited the Philippine area on Tuesday, headed toward Taiwan, before re-entering as a typhoon on Thursday and weakening further into a tropical depression by Friday. Source: Emirates News Agency