Wind signals lifted as Aghon weakens, moves away

PAGASA on Tuesday morning lifted tropical cyclone wind signals as Typhoon Aghon weakened as it continued to move away from Luzon.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the state weather bureau said the center of Aghon was estimated based on all available data at 315 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan packing maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 160 km/h, and central pressure of 970 hPa.

"No Wind Signal hoisted at this time," PAGASA said.

It added that Aghon, the first cyclone to hit the country this year, is "unlikely to directly bring significant amount of rainfall within the next three days."

However, PAGASA said moderate to heavy rains are still expected over Western Visayas and the western portion of Central and Southern Luzon in the next three days due to the southwesterly windflow.

Aghon will continue to bring moderate to rough seas of up to 4.0 meters over the coastal waters of Cagayan (eastern coast), Isabela, northern Aurora and the northern coastal waters of Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes. 

“Mariners of motorbancas and similarly-sized vessels are advised to take precautionary measures while venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions, especially if inexperienced or operating ill-equipped vessels,” PAGASA warned.

Aghon is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Wednesday afternoon or evening.

"Aghon will likely maintain its strength until tomorrow before entering a period of weakening on Wednesday as it begins to interact with the mid-latitude environment and undergo post-tropical transition," PAGASA said. 

"However, an earlier weakening trend is not ruled out, it added.

Fatalities 

Six people were reported dead after the onslaught of Aghon, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Tuesday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, OCD spokesperson Edgar Posadas said only one of these reported fatalities has been confirmed while the remaining are still being verified.

“Yung isa pong naitalang namatay sa Region 10 ay kinumpirma na po nila at nai-report na po ito sa atin. Ito po ay isang 14-year-old na female. At siya po ay from Misamis Oriental at ito ay due to multiple physical injury po dahil po nabagsakan siya ng collapsed na puno,” he said.

(The one recorded death in Region 10 has already been confirmed and reported to us. This is a 14-year-old female. And she was from Misamis Oriental and this is due to multiple physical injuries because she was hit by a fallen tree.)

“Pero meron pa rin po tayong kinukumpirma na lima na biniberipika pa natin para kapag ma-confirm po, we will also report to you,” he added. 

(But we still have five reported deaths to confirm so that when it is confirmed, we will also report to you.)

Most of the reported deaths were due to drowning and getting hit by falling trees, according to Posadas.

Eight people were reported injured in Bicol and Northern Mindanao.

The population affected by Aghon was 36,143 and most of them were reported in Calabarzon with 19,180 and Bicol with 10,349. —with Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News