One of Pacific's twin typhoons kills 10 in Philippines

One of the twin typhoons in the Pacific has claimed its first casualties, killing 10 people in the Philippines and forcing the evacuation of almost 13,000 people, authorities said Saturday.

Typhoon Goni, known as Ineng in the archipelago country, delivered its deadly blows in the islands' Mountain Province, Benguet and Ilocos Norte, authorities reported.

Goni and Typhoon Atsani made for a startling image in a satellite photograph this week.

Goni unleashed a load of havoc: nine floods, eight landslides, two tornadoes and a collapsed bridge in the Philippines. At least three people remained missing and at least seven people were injured, authorities there said. As of Sunday morning, the storm had weakened slightly and had 86 mph sustained winds, with gusts of up to 106 mph.

The eye of Goni was 164 miles northeast of the Philippines' far-flung northern province of Batanes and is projected to continue on its path to clip Taiwan, according to Philippine authorities and the Pacific Disaster Center.

The only projected landfall for Goni is the Japanese Ryuku Islands and Japan's southern mainland, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Atsani continue to twirl over open waters in the Pacific at 92 mph winds and 115 mph gusts, but it isn't projected to strike any land, the Pacific Disaster Center said Saturday.

Twin typhoons are common in the western Pacific, occurring several times a year, but two super typhoons at the same time would be rare event, Miller said.

Atsani was categorized earlier this week as a super typhoon with winds of 155 mph gusting to 186 mph, but has since been downgraded to a typhoon, according to the Pacific Disaster Center.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com