Tropical storm kills family of five in Philippines

MANILA: Tropical Storm Fengshen headed out to sea on Sunday after killing a family of five on the Philippines’ main island Luzon, officials and state weather forecasters said.

The family, including children aged two and 11 years old, were crushed to death in their sleep when a giant palm tree fell on their house near Pitogo, about 153 kilometres (95 miles) southeast of capital Manila.

“The entire family was asleep in a house made of light materials,” Governor Angelina Tan of Quezon province told Manila radio station DZMM, adding that a sixth member of the family survived.

Pitogo police official Sonny Ombajino confirmed the deaths, saying they occurred as the storm raked across the south of Luzon overnight.