Typhoon leaves 15 dead, several missing in north Philippines

Manila: Philippine officials say a powerful typhoon has blown out of the northern Philippines, leaving at least 15 people dead and several others missing, including in a gold-mining village where more than 100 rescuers scramble to dig through a mudslide for possible survivors.

Government forecasters said today that Typhoon Goni was last tracked at sea about 430 kilometres northeast of Basco town in Batanes province on the archipelago's northernmost tip.

It had sustained winds of 140 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 170 kph. It was forecast to lash southern Japan within 24 hours.

Most of the deaths were reported in Benguet province, where landslides killed 11 people, including at least three miners.