19 dead after typhoon brings widespread destruction in Philippines

A powerful typhoon has left at least 19 people dead, knocked down power and communications in entire provinces and wrought widespread destruction mostly in the central Philippines, officials said. Typhoon Rai blew away on Friday night into the South China Sea after rampaging through southern and central island provinces, where more than 300,000 people in its path were evacuated to safety in a pre-emptive move officials say may have saved a lot of lives.