MANILA, 15 November 2003 — Tropical storm Nepartak slammed into the central Philippines early yesterday, killing at least four people and leaving thousands of ferry passengers stranded, officials said.

Strong winds blacked out the islands of Samar, Masbate and Marinduque, with a combined population of nearly four million people, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

Disaster relief officials said the four fatalities were from the eastern region of Bicol, who were electrocuted as strong winds snapped electricity cables.

They victims were identified as Lek-Lek Budino and Leonisa Nemifrom, both children from Daet town in Camarines Norte province; Danilo Orolfo, a man from Naga City in Camarines Sur province; and Juniel Busing of Tabaco City in Albay province.

Nepartak, named Weng by the Philippine weather bureau, battered Samar and Masbate islands with peak winds of 85 kilometers (53 miles) an hour, unleashing heavy rain that caused widespread flooding.

Civil defense office said rough seas kept domestic shipping bottled up at ports in the area, stranding 1,772 passengers bound for the central islands, some of whom spent the night at warehouses in the port of Tabaco City.

A total of 22 domestic flights to and from the central Philippine provinces were cancelled, airport officials said. International flights however were not affected.

Classes in primary schools in Manila and nearby provinces were also called off due to heavy rains.

A radio report said a motorized outrigger sank in waters between central Cebu and Negros islands, but all 11 people on board were rescued. No other details were available.

Weather forecasters said the storm at sea between the islands of Panay and Romblon later yesterday.

They said it was expected to hit Palawan province later as it moved northwestward to the South China Sea.

Stage two of a five-stage storm alert was raised over at least 32 provinces in the path of the storm, and the civil defense warned residents there to watch out for flash floods and landslides.

About 19 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines every year, killing an average of 500 people annually since 1970, official records show. (Additional input from Agencies)