Typhoon Kujira (Dante in the Philippines) swirled over Mindoro Island, south of Luzon, before moving northeastward into the Pacific and intensifying to a Category 4 storm.

While Kujira had not yet reached hurricane strength while spinning over the eastern Philippines, the rainfall it produced was so heavy that it inflicted widespread destruction and misery to the human population.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said that 20 of the victims died when a landslide triggered by torrential rainfall engulfed more than a dozen homes in the village of Hubo in Sorsogon province.

Debris-clogged rivers across that province washed away several bridges, disrupting traffic and hampering relief efforts.

Two other victims drowned in a swollen river in Camarines Norte, and three others were electrocuted in the provinces of Camarines Sur and Catanduanes.

The Philippine government's chief weather forecaster, Nathaniel Cruz, warned that another storm, Typhoon Chan-Hom, was bearing down on the Philippines and should make landfall late in the week.

Typhoon Kujira Track

Satellite Loop Data: CIMSS