6 dead, 9 missing in tropical storm in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A tropical storm has left six people dead and nine missing in the Philippines and is heading toward Vietnam and southern China.

Civil Defence chief Mr Benito Ramos says the fatalities include an 88-year-old woman who died of hypothermia and a 77-year-old man hit by a falling tree, both in the central Philippines.

More than 30,000 people stranded at seaports and airports were expected to resume their journeys after storm warnings were lifted on Friday and floodwaters began subsiding.

The Philippine weather bureau says Tropical Storm Son-Tinh entered the country early Wednesday. It was located about 440 kilometres west of northern Zambales province at noon on Friday, moving at 22 kilometres per hour. It had sustained maximum winds of 90 kph.