MANILA, Philippines (AP) – A typhoon lashed the central and eastern Philippines Sunday, killing four people, including two toddlers, and forcing more than 90,000 to evacuate their homes, officials said.

About 80,000 of the evacuees came from eastern Albay province that was devastated last week by mudslides unleashed by another powerful typhoon, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.

Typhoon Utor made landfall in the town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar province at noon Saturday. As of Sunday afternoon, the storm’s eye was 56 miles northwest of Occidental Mindoro province’s San Jose town, with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and gusts of up to 93 mph, the weather bureau said.

San Jose is 155 miles south of Manila.

The typhoon’s path was just south of the eastern Bicol region, where more than 1,000 people were killed or left missing after Typhoon Durian struck last week.

Utor caused power outages and downed telephone lines in many central areas including the popular island resort of Boracay, officials said.

Disaster relief officials said that aside from four deaths, four people were reported missing and at least three were injured.

A fallen tree killed a child in central Tacloban city where another child was hurt, said Office of Civil Defense regional director Adriano Puego said.

In central Capiz province, a 1-year-old girl was crushed to death when a tree fell onto her house. Her mother survived but is in a hospital, OCD regional director Rose Cabrera said.

A boy was found dead and his mother and a 70-year-old man were missing after their docked boat capsized in central Roxas city, Cabrera said. Two other men were missing in central Antique province after failing to return from a fishing trip, she said.

A barge lashed by huge waves crashed onto the pier in Romblon’s San Agustin town and spilled 25,000 liters of diesel oil, regional disaster officials said.

Superintendent William Macavinta, Aklan province’s police chief, said a boat operator from Boracay was killed after his vessel capsized. He said because of communication problems, he was unable to verify reports that 21 people were missing in Boracay and another three people from the nearby port town of Caticlan.

Utor is moving in a northwest direction and is expected to pass western Palawan island by Sunday night. It is expected to be over the South China Sea by Tuesday, the weather bureau said.


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