“Vinta” (international name: Tembin) has intensified into a typhoon as it moved to leave the Philippine territory a day before the largely Catholic country celebrates Christmas, the state weather bureau said. Located 355 kilometers south-southeast of Pag-asa Island in Palawan, “Vinta” packs maximum winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts of of up to 145 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. “Scattered to widespread moderate to heavy rains will prevail over Palawan,” Pagasa said. The weather bureau said sea travel over the western seaboard of Palawan remains risky. “Vinta” reportedly left more than 120 people dead and 160 others missing in Visayas and Mindanao.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 23, 2017 23:10 UTC