A young mum has died shielding her baby from a falling coconut tree that struck their bedroom during a tornado.
Norelyn Nortal, 21, was lying next to the three-month-old baby girl and putting her to sleep while violent winds struck their wooden house in the coastal town of Dinas in Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines, on October 2.
The mother and daughter were at home while Ms Nortal's husband Roberts Nortal, 25, was away for work in the provincial capital Pagadian City.
While drifting off to sleep, a coconut tree trunk suddenly smashed through the roof of their home and was knocked down by Typhoon Noru's strength.
Ms Nortal managed to push away her child at the last second but the mother was tragically crushed under the weight of the tree trunk.
Local media reported that Ms Nortal was still alive while being pinned down by the tree as she called for help.
Frantic neighbours scrambled to lift the heavy object from her body, but they failed and she eventually died at the scene.
Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co said in a statement on Monday, October 3: "The tornado that hit Pagadian City last night was a frightening experience for our people.
"I want to assure our constituents that we have deployed all possible help and support to the affected barangays. Your LGU (local government unit) is constantly monitoring the situation on the ground and assessing the damage brought by this unexpected disaster."
The storm had sustained winds of 149 mph, with gusts up to 183 mph, eventually becoming a super typhoon “causing extremely dangerous winds, storm surge, extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding."
The Philippines sees an average of 20 tropical storms each year and Typhoon Noru was the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, leaving casualties, floods and power outages in its wake.
More than 74,000 people were forced to evacuate and government work and classes at schools were suspended.
Meanwhile, Ms Nortal's relatives have pleaded for financial aid for her funeral and the baby's milk.
Noru came as the United States was also battered by Hurricane Ian. Unofficial figures have recorded more than 100 killed by the category 4 storm that swept Florida last week.
Rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors from the Category 4 storm while people return to their homes and try to come to terms with the destruction.
The greatest death toll so far has been in Lee County where 54 people lost their lives as the grim number of fatalities continues to rise.
