Uwan weakens to severe tropical storm, 18 dead from landslides

Tropical Cyclone Uwan, internationally known as Fung-Wong, has weakened into a severe tropical storm outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

As of Tuesday morning, Uwan was observed with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 135 kph.

The storm was located 370 kilometers west northwest of Calayan, Cagayan, and was moving north-northwestward at 10 km/h.

Pagasa forecasts that Uwan will continue to weaken and make landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday evening.

Upon reaching the waters off the Ryukyu Islands on Thursday, Uwan is projected to further downgrade into a tropical depression, and eventually into a low-pressure area by Thursday evening or Friday.

The Office of Civil Defense reported on Tuesday morning that most of the 18 deaths recorded so far due to Uwan were due to landslides.