A powerful Pacific storm has weakened and is leaving the Philippines after killing at least 27 people in the vulnerable archipelago nation.
Typhoon Hagupit slammed Saturday into the eastern Philippines, tearing roofs off buildings and knocking out power in entire coastal provinces.
The Philippine Red Cross puts the death toll at 27. That is much higher than the government's toll, which stands only at 11 as of Tuesday.
Much of the worst damage was in Eastern Samar province, which is still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan that last year killed thousands.
Hagupit was not as catastrophic as Haiyan, in part because nearly 1.7 million people fled to evacuations centers as the storm approached.
The storm steadily weakened as it crossed over the central Philippines, sparing the capital, Manila, which largely shut down in preparation.
By Tuesday, Hagupit had weakened to a tropical depression and was heading west toward the South China Sea.
