Death toll from typhoon Melor rises to 17 in Philippines

Typhoon Melor which has left the central provinces of Philippines, killed at least 17 people and left 20 injured, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Friday.

According to the country's NDRRMC, a total of 165,554 families or 742,991 persons have been evacuated as of Wednesday.

The typhoon cut power and communications lines, destroyed or closed roads and bridges and grounded planes and ships.

It may take months to restore power in some areas, authorities said.

A total of 130 domestic flights were cancelled since Monday due to the weather disturbance. As of Friday, a total of 73 passengers, seven vessels and 12 motor bancas are stranded due to rough sea conditions.

An estimated cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture has reached 953 million pesos (19 million U.S. dollars).

An average of 20 typhoons passes through the Philippines each year. In 2013, typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people in the central Philippines.