Manila: Cielo Adelina Salceda, 89, mother of Joey Salceda, governor of Albay in Bicol, south Luzon died on Wednesday of head trauma after slipping on the stairs during a power outage at the height of tropical storm Nock-ten.

Authorities added that 35 were dead, with 25 missing as the storm traversed up to central and northern Luzon then crossed west before proceeding to the South China Sea yesterday.

A policeman died in a landslide in northern Luzon's Ifugao Province yesterday.

The rest who died, went missing and were injured in central and northern Luzon but were not yet in the list of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said NDRRMC chief, Undersecretary Benito Ramos.

Of the 25 missing in NDRRMC's current list, 19 were fishermen from Masbate, central Philippines, an area that should have been spared because it is more south than southern Luzon's Bicol Region and Quezon Province, whose eastern areas were hit hard as Nock-ten remained in the Pacific Ocean.

Accidents

In central Philippines and southern Luzon, many died because of accidents, drowning, electrocution, heart attack, and landslides, said Ramos, adding that more people suffered even if Nock-ten weakened when it landed on the mountains to the east of northern Luzon.

The storm travelled faster, with winds between 95 to 124 kilometres per hour in the centre with wind gusts at 120 kilometres per hour, when it reached the plains of northern Luzon, said Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical and Seismic Administration (PAGASA).

Storm alerts

Continuous rains rendered these places prone to dangerous landslides, said Yumul.

Storm alert levels were lowered in central Philippines, southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, located between southern Luzon and central Luzon.

Despite continuous drizzling and increasing rains, classes resumed in Metro Manila.

Earlier, a boat capsized in Quezon, another in Iloilo, central Philippines. Road accidents occurred in Metro Manila, because of zero visibility and flooding.

As Nock-ten got out of the country, it pulled upwards more monsoon rains that drenched central Philippines, southern and central Luzon, including metro Manila.

Nock-ten was 560 kilometres west northwest of Laoag City and 310 kilometres south southwest of Hong Kong yesterday evening,

It was predicted to reach 270 kilometres southwest of Hong Kong by today.