Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda hits Philippines, 3 dead, hundreds of flights cancelled

Published on : Friday, November 8, 2013

At least 3 people were killed after Typhoon Haiyan, billed as the strongest storm of the year, unleashed its fury on Philippines. Schools were closed and offices were shutdown and thousands of people were evacuated amidst fears of serious damage. Hundreds of flights were cancelled and tourists were stranded in airports.
According to reports, already half-a-million people have already been evacuated from regions falling in the path of the storm. “Even people in evacuation centres – we are not quite sure if they’re safe because the wind is very strong,” head of Philippines Red Cross Gwendolyn Pang said. “We’re trying our best to continue to monitor the situation…but it’s so huge – so big,” she added.
Philippine Airlines (PAL), its unit PAL Express, and budget carriers Cebu Pacific, TigerAir Philippines, AirAsia Philippines and AirAsia Zest cancelled their flights on Thursday due to Typhoon Yolanda, which is expected to hit the country early Friday morning.