Deadly TYPHOON FENSHEN hits Manila and Kills 100's while over 800 from a CAPSIZED FERRY are missing and feared dead

Typhoon Fengshen has killed 155 people in the Philippines in a torrent of flashfloods and landslides, the head of the Philippines Red Cross, Richard Gordon, told local radio on Sunday.

The death toll from the typhoon was earlier pegged at around 85. It could rise sharply after a ferry with more than 800 people are missing and many feared dead from a ferry that capsized and sank as Typhoon Fengshen continued to batter the Philippines, hampering rescue efforts.

Four bodies were recovered by police rescuers from the MV Princess of Stars, police spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said today in a telephone interview. Three survivors had been found, Senator Richard Gordon, who's also chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said this afternoon at a news briefing. There were 747 passengers and crew aboard, according to the coast guard.

Two navy ships were on their way to the area near Romblon in the central Philippines where the ferry capsized at about 6 p.m. yesterday, and were expected to arrive there at about 2 p.m. local time, Navy spokesman Edgard Arevalo said. Rescue attempts were being hampered by ``gigantic waves, pounding rain and gusting winds,'' he said. The ferry was en route from Manila to Cebu in the central Philippines when it sank.

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Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo demanded to know why the ferry was allowed to sail as the typhoon bore down on the islands. She spoke from the U.S., where she is on an official visit, with civil defense and coast guard authorities in a meeting that was broadcast on nationwide radio. ``Why did you allow it to sail and why was there no ample warning?'' she said.

Elsewhere, 82 people may be dead from flashfloods and landslides caused by the typhoon, although only eight were confirmed, according to National Disaster Coordinating Council Executive Director Anthony Golez. More than 366,000 were affected by the storms and of them, 70,717 had been evacuated, according to an earlier report from the council.

Storm Track

The eye of Fengshen, the seventh storm of the northwestern Pacific cyclone season, was over Tarlac province, northwest of the capital city of Manila, packing winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour at 4 p.m. local time, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. It is moving toward the northwest coast of the main island of Luzon, the weather bureau said.

Storm debris is hampering restoration of power to areas of the capital blacked out when the storm blew through. Manila Electric Co., which serves the capital and nearby provinces, said a 10th of its total network remained without power as of 3 p.m.

Power has been restored to mass transit lines in Manila, the electricity company said.

Some power lines in southern Luzon are still being repaired, the state-run power transmission company said. Service has been fully restored on Cebu and Bohol islands in the central Philippines, according to National Transmission Co.

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Flooded Iloilo

At least 30,000 residents of Iloilo City were stranded on their rooftops after the typhoon caused a dam to overflow and sparked power outages across the province, the Philippines Inquirer reported citing Jed Mabilog the city's acting mayor.

In the eastern Bicol region, the storm forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate their homes, the newspaper said, citing a civil defense official.

Arroyo arrived in the U.S. last night for a 10-day visit, according to the report. Yesterday she ordered warnings to be issued to all provinces in the storm's path.

The Philippines is regularly hit by typhoons and tropical storms that gain strength over warm waters of the Pacific before lashing the coast. At least 26 people died in November last year when two typhoons struck the country.

Fengshen is named after the God of Wind in China, according to the Web site of the Hong Kong Observatory, which lists names used for tropical storms and typhoons formed in the northwest Pacific.

Typhoon "Fengshen" passed the east of Metro Manila early Sunday and headed toward central Luzon in the vicinity of Clark in Pampanga province, 70 kilometers north of Manila, said the state weather forecasters Sunday.

"Fengshen" is expected to reach Pangasinan province 200 kilometers north of Manila in the afternoon, said the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. The typhoon packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph, and was moving north-northwest at 15 kph.

Metro Manila was invaded by flood waters brought about by typhoon "Fengshen" on Sunday, after one night's heavy wind and rains. All domestic flights for Sunday were canceled and international flights were delayed, according to local radio reports. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said gutter-deep flood waters submerged several thoroughfares in Metro Manila, while some streets in Manila were submerged with knee-deep water. Some parts of the capital region came under power outage for several hours Sunday morning due to toppled electricity posts and damaged transformers.

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By Monday morning, "Fengshen" is expected to be 100 km west of Vigan, Ilocos Sur in northern Luzon. By Tuesday morning, "Fengshen" would be 300 kilometers west-northwest of Basco, Batanes in the northernmost Philippines, and by Wednesday morning, it would be 470 km north-northwest of Basco, Batanes.