Tropical Storm Wukong left six people dead and two missing as it cut through the central Philippines, following devastating Typhoon Bopha that killed hundreds earlier this month, officials said Thursday. The toll from the latest storm was relatively low as the public, alarmed by the huge number of fatalities left by Bopha, were quick to take precautionary measures, civil defence chief Benito Ramos told AFP.

"They were all aware that a typhoon was coming. They were all aware of what happened with (Bopha). The deaths are minimal compared to (Bopha)," he said. Three people were killed when a tree fell on their home in the central island of Samar while three others were washed away by overflowing rivers, he said. On Thursday the storm weakened into a low-pressure area as it passed the westernmost island of Palawan, moving out into the South China Sea.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012