Fierce storm blows out of northern Philippines after leaving 14 dead in landslides and floods

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fierce storm was blowing out of the northern Philippines Tuesday after leaving at least 14 people dead in landslides, floods and swollen rivers, disaster-response officials said.

Tropical Storm Yagi swept past Paoay town in Ilocos Norte province into the South China Sea with sustained winds of up to 75 kilometers (47 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 125 kph (78 mph), according to the weather bureau.

It was forecast to strengthen into a typhoon as it barrels northwestward over the sea toward southern China.

Storm warnings remained in most northern Philippine provinces, where residents were warned of the lingering danger of landslides in rain-soaked mountain villages and floodings in the farming lowlands of Luzon, the country’s most populous region.

Locally called Enteng, Yagi enhanced seasonal monsoon rains and unleashed downpours across Luzon, including in the densely populated capital region, metropolitan Manila, where classes and government work remained suspended Tuesday.

At least 14 people died in landslides, floods and swollen rivers in northern and central provinces, including in Antipolo, a popular Roman Catholic pilgrimage city and tourism destination west of Manila where at least three residents, including a pregnant woman, died in a hillside landslide that buried shanties and four others drowned in creeks and rivers, Antipolo’s disaster-mitigation officer Enrilito Bernardo Jr. told The Associated Press by telephone.

Four other villagers remained missing after their house was swept away in the deluge, Bernardo said.

Thousands of travelers were stranded on Monday after sea travel was temporarily halted in several ports and 34 domestic flights were suspended due to the stormy weather.

A training ship, M/V Kamilla — which was anchored in Manila Bay off the Navotas port in the capital — was hit by another vessel that veered out of control due to rough waves. Kamilla’s bridge was damaged and it later caught fire, prompting its 18 cadets and crewmembers to abandon the ship, the Philippine coast guard said.

A passing tugboat rescued 17 of those who abandoned the ship and one swam to safety, the coast guard said.

About 20 typhoons and storms batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago lies in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

A resident uses a large pot to keep him afloat as he negotiates a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents ride a truck as they negotiate a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents ride a truck as they negotiate a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Rescuers and residents ride a truck as they cross a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents protect their belongings as they negotiate a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A resident rides an old refrigerator to avoid a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Commuters ride on top of a truck to avoid flood waters caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents ride on an improvised float through flood waters caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, as they return to their homes on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents use rubber paddles from a toy boat as they wade along a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A resident uses a laundry tub to protect him from rain as he wades along a flooded street caused by Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Fierce storm blows out of northern Philippines after leaving 14 dead in landslides and floods

Fierce storm blows out of northern Philippines after leaving 14 dead in landslides and floods

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England and English soccer teams could be removed from UEFA competitions if a new regulator is considered to be “Government interference” in the sport.

In a letter sent by UEFA to the U.K.'s new culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, European soccer's governing body raised concerns about a proposed independent football regulator (IFR) in English soccer. The regulatory will ensure the financial sustainability of clubs and stop teams from joining breakaway competitions like the European Super League.

UEFA regulations state there should be no government interference in the running of soccer.

“We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition,” UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis wrote in his letter, which has been seen by The Associated Press.

England, which has been runner-up in the last two European Championships, is co-hosting the 2028 edition of the tournament.

If UEFA imposed its ultimate sanction of excluding the English Football Association, the England team would be barred from competing in the Euros. It could also mean Premier League clubs being barred from the Champions League and other competitions.

The U.K. government’s Football Governance Bill would give an independent regulator powersto safeguard the future of clubs. It includes strengthened tests over who can run or own clubs.

In its letter, UEFA said “normally football regulation should be managed by the national federation.”

It said it was concerned by what it described as “scope creep” by a regulator into areas beyond “the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.”

UEFA said if all countries established regulators with wide-reaching powers it would hinder its ability to maintain effective governance across Europe. It wants England's regulator to be “strictly limited” to the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - The UEFA Euro trophy is pictured after Britain and Ireland were elected to host the Euro 2028 football tournament during the the UEFA EURO 2028 and 2032 hosts announcement ceremony after the UEFA Executive Committee, at UEFA Headquarters, in Nyon, Switzerland, Oct. 10, 2023. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP, File)