Howler ‘Labuyo’ leaves two dead;

Typhoon "Labuyo" left at least two persons dead as it moved away from Northern Luzon, heading toward Taiwan, reports said.

The Agence France Presse, quoting the civil defense office, said a man drowned in a swollen river in Tuguegarao, Cagayan.

Another drowning victim, identified as Freddie Acebedo, 29, was reported in Barangay Tabug, Batac, Ilocos Norte.

He and some friends reportedly decided to catch fish for pulutan in a river. Drunk, he slipped at the bank of the river and was carried away by the strong current. His body was found yesterday.

The AFP said at least 500 people were evacuated from their homes in the Ilocos region.

Power remained knocked out in the northernmost islands of Batanes which bore the brunt of Labuyo’s fury, the civil defense office said. — Teddy Molina