At least 9 dead in Visayas due to Ursula —DILG

Nine people were killed following the onslaught of Typhoon Ursula, according to an Unang Balita report on Thursday, citing the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Based on initial reports, the DILG said two of the fatalities were from Pontevedra, Capiz; three from Balasan, Iloilo; three from Batad, Iloilo; and one from Abuyog, Leyte.

The Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas earlier said seven people were confirmed killed in Iloilo alone due to Ursula. Aside from the fatalities, six were also reported missing.

The figures have yet to reach the Camp Aguinaldo-based National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC), which tallies the overall effects of disasters, as of Thursday morning.

In its 6 p.m. report on Wednesday, the NDRRMC said 5,555 people or 1,271 families were evacuated in Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) and MIMAROPA following the effects of Typhoon Ursula.

The NDRRMC also said a total of 86 cities/municipalities experienced power outage in Regions VI and VIII. Of that number, power in 24 cities/municipalities were already restored.

A total of five road sections in Regions VI and VIII were also rendered not passable.

The NDRRM Operations Center already raised its blue alert status to monitor Ursula's development. 

Ursula (international name: Phanfone) lashed the Visayas and several areas in Luzon on Christmas Day.

Images posted by Paul Cinco, a resident of Tanauan, Leyte province, showed strong gusts and damage caused overnight.

"The aftermath of course made us sad because it's Christmas Day, but it doesn't feel like Christmas, but we're blessed to be safe...no major devastation or casualties reported," he said.

More than 20,000 passengers and 157 vessels were stranded in ports on Wednesday, and at least 60 domestic flights have been cancelled.

An average of 20 cyclones cross the Philippines each year, with storms becoming fiercer in recent years. More than 6,000 people died and 200,000 homes destroyed when Super Typhoon Yolanda, the strongest-ever storm to make landfall in the Philippines, hit Leyte and Samar six years ago.

Ursula, which gained strength as it barreled through the central region, is expected to exit the country on Saturday morning, according to state weather forecasters PAGASA. —KBK, GMA News