MANILA, Dec 10: Three people were killed as Typhoon Utor ploughed through the central Philippines on Sunday. Tens of thousands of people spent the night in makeshift shelters.

Besides, the typhoon caused blackouts and cut communication lines in the archipelago.

The storm, bringing winds of about 120 km per hour and gusts of up to 150 kph, hit Samar and Masbate islands overnight, forcing residents of coastal and low-lying areas to seek higher ground.The Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council said three people had been killed in the typhoon in the eastern island of Leyte.

Authorities evacuated some 76,000 residents in Albay province where villages were wiped out by Typhoon Durian last week after its winds and rain sent tons of mud and water crashing from Mount Mayon, an active volcano, leaving over 1,000 people feared dead.

Residents on the western island of Mindoro, 120 km south of the capital, Manila, were on Sunday advised to seek higher ground—Reuters