TAIPEI, Taiwan, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- At least 10 people, including three French tourists, were killed as Typhoon Morakot swamped the northern Philippines, officials said Friday.
In China, nine fishermen were missing after their boat capsized Friday off the coast of Hainan, Xinhua, the official government news agency, reported.
Seven of the dead in the Philippines, including the tourists, were killed by a lahar, or volcanic mudflow, on the slopes of Mount Pinatubo, The Philippine Star reported. The other victims were a Filipino tourist guide and three local residents.
Six French tourists were rescued. Officials said there would be an investigation into why the tourists were allowed to trek to the volcano when the typhoon was heading for the area.
Three boys died when a landslide buried their house in Baguio.
In Fujian Province in southeast China, schools were ordered closed by 4 p.m. Friday, Xinhua said. More than 20,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas Friday and 34,000 fishing vessels ordered into harbor.
In Taiwan, schools, offices and airports were closed Friday, CNN reported. Heavy rains were expected to inundate the entire country.
Morakot's outer edge hit Okinawa early Thursday, Stars and Stripes reported. Wind gusts as high as 65 mph and crosswinds of 50 mph at Naha International Airport forced the cancellation of flights.
Officials at U.S. military bases on the Japanese island said some aircraft were evacuated before the typhoon hit and others were locked down in hangars.
