Philippines cyclone travel advice update
Wednesday, 25 Jun 2008 13:05
Widespread damage from Tropical Cyclone Fengshen in the Philippines has caused the government to declare a number of provinces calamity zones, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reports.
The provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique and Iloilo, as well as Iloilo City, in the western Visayas region of the Philippines have all been badly affected, with hundreds reported dead or missing.
Cyclone Fengshen lashed the Visayas and Luzon regions of the archipelago with high winds and rain last weekend (June 20th to 22nd) and there have been flash floods and landslides.
Approximately 800 people were killed when a ferry capsized on Saturday during the typhoon, in what is one of the worst maritime disasters in the history of the Philippines.
The FCO is warning travellers to these areas to exercise caution and follow the advice of local authorities.
In the capital of Manila power has now been fully restored but there are widespread electricity cuts in other parts of the country.
Ongoing terrorist activity in the Mindanao region of the Philippines remains on the FCO's list of places where it advises against all travel.