Searches were underway Monday, October 26, for 7 fishermen in the Philippines as a typhoon swept across the archipelago, flooding low-lying areas and forcing thousands of people into emergency shelters.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, Typhoon Quinta (Molave) made landfall Sunday, October 25, on the southern end of the main island of Luzon before moving west across the country.

Villages and farmland in the typhoon’s path were flooded while powerful winds toppled trees and power lines.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said no deaths had been recorded.

More than 70,000 people had sought shelter in evacuation centers in Bicol, Civil Defense said.

Search operations for 12 fishermen reported missing across 3 areas in Bicol have so far located 5 of them alive, it added.

And at least two people were injured by a falling tree in Oriental Mindoro province, its governor told local broadcaster Teleradyo.

Rescuers were also searching for a person missing after their boat was submerged in Batangas. Seven other crew members were rescued.

Typhoon Quinta started to re-intensify over the West Philippine Sea on Monday afternoon and is still causing rain while beginning to move away. – Rappler.com