Typhoon Phanfone leaves at least 16 dead and a trail of destruction across central Philippines

Residents wade through a flooded highway, caused by heavy rains from Typhoon Phanfone, in Ormoc City, Leyte province, in the central Philippines Wednesday. Photo: RONALD FRANK DEJON/AFP via Getty Images)

A typhoon that pummeled the central Philippines on Christmas Day has killed at least 16 people, Filipino authorities say, per AFP.

The big picture: Typhoon Phanfone packed ripped off roofs, downed power lines and caused internet and cell phone network outages as it made landfall packing winds of 120 miles mph, AFP notes. Some 3,930 travelers were still stranded at ports across the island nation following the storm by 8 a.m. Thursday local time, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

Many villages in Visayas took the brunt of Typhoon Phanfone. In Tacloban City, houses are damaged while debris, toppled trees and electric posts are scattered on the streets. Photo by Erwin Bodaño, WV volunteer pic.twitter.com/TsqGxgKWS4

— World Vision PH (@WorldVisionPH) December 26, 2019