Ten dead, nine injured as Super Typhoon Megi clears Philippines

Ten people are confirmed dead and nine injured as Super Typhoon Megi, also known as Juan, cleared the Philippines Tuesday. Megi is the strongest typhoon to strike the country this year.

Megi is currently a "super typhoon" with winds in excess of 185 km/h (115 mph). It brought strong winds and heavy rains to northern provinces Monday, knocking out power and forcing the cancellation of flights.

Experts indicated that Megi might damage up to 60% of the rice crop in the Cagayan valley on the main island of Luzon, producer of about one-third of the rice for the Philippines.

Reports state that landslides have blocked roads in the Apayao province, Luzon. Four casualties were caused by drowning, three by a building collapse, two by collapsed trees and one by a lightning strike. It has been reported that nine people were injured in Cagayan, Kalinga, and Baguio City.

Thousands of soldiers were on standby as the storm hit, ready to deliver aid to those affected.

Megi began to clear the Philippines and is heading towards mainland China. The typhoon soaked the capital, Manila, with rain until 8 pm local time Tuesday.