Christmas Typhoon Leaves 16 Dead in Philippines

A typhoon that barreled through the central Philippines over Christmas left at least 16 people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials said. Typhoon Phanfone made landfall on Christmas Eve and hit several islands in the Visayas group on Christmas Day in the predominantly Catholic country, the AP reports. It brought heavy rains, strong winds, and flash floods that caused thousands to evacuate their homes and left thousands more stranded in ports around the country. Several people were still missing on Thursday, according to disaster management officials. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, tells the BBC that "a lot of people have lost their homes and they need food." (More Philippines stories.)