Typhoon Goni kills at least 15 in Philippines

A typhoon blowing out of the northern Philippines has left at least 15 people dead and several others missing.

In a gold-mining village, which was among the places struck, more than 100 rescuers scrambled to dig through a mud slide for possible survivors.

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

It had sustained winds of 140km/h and gusts of up to 170km/h.

The typhoon 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.