Manila, Philippines - At least 38 people were reported killed while eight others are missing due to typhoon "Rammasun," which ravaged northern and central parts of the Philippines since Tuesday, authorities said.

Over 1 million people were affected by the typhoon, locally called "Glenda," and has prompted evacuation of at least 530, 000 people, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Thursday.

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Rammasun is the seventh and strongest typhoon to enter the Philippines this year, which barreled through parts of Metro Manila and Luzon, shutting down trees and power lines, heavily damaging some houses and causing widespread blackout.

NDRRMC chief Alexander Pama said majority of the fatalities were recorded in Calabarzon, the hardest-hit region while other victims were from Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Eastern Visayas. The casualties are expected to rise as some areas still have no power as of Thursday, July 17.

Moreover, at least 26, 000 houses were damaged in which 7, 000 were destroyed by the typhoon, with wind speed of up to150 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 180 kph.

Based on an initial assessment, the damage to agriculture is placed at around 2.32 billion pesos (US$53 million) while damages to infrastructure were estimated at 48 million pesos (US$1 million).

The Department of Agriculture reported that fisheries lost over 800 million pesos (US$18.5 million) while rice production suffered from 512 million pesos of damage (US$11 million).

Meanwhile, over a thousand passengers were still stranded in several ports across the Philippines, while 254 flights with 89 international routes were cancelled due to the strong winds.

The weather state bureau has lifted all warning signals on Thursday, but warned residents of continuing rains over areas of Luzon with moderate to strong winds.

Based on its latest data, Rammasun was located at 380-km west-southwest of Dagupan City with maximum sustained winds of 130 kph and gusts of up to 160 kph. It is expected to move west northwest at 20 kph heading towards China.

President Benigno Aquino III has directed disaster agency officials to expedite its clearing and recovery operations in affected areas as another low-pressure area is entering northern Mindanao. He said the preparedness of local officials in the affected areas "was a major factor in minimizing casualties and injuries."

The typhoon came as the Philippines is still recovering from the wrath of supertyphoon Haiyan, which devastated the Visayas region November last year and killed over 7, 000 people. The government is still in the recovery operation, with no significant developments made in the affected areas eight months after the tragedy.

TagsPresident Benigno Aquino III, Ramassun