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(CNN) - A typhoon that hit the center of the Philippines on Christmas day killed at least 16 people and caused damage to homes and tourist areas.
Typhoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, made landfall on Tuesday in the eastern province of Samar, causing heavy rain and storm surge. It struck as the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane, with sustained wind speeds of 150 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 195 kilometers per hour.
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Phanfone continued sweeping westward through the islands of the Eastern Visayas region, southern Luzon and Western Visayas, on Wednesday, tearing down towers of electricity and trees, tearing roofs, damaging homes and causing widespread disruption of the trips during the busy Christmas period.
The region is mostly Catholic and many people were preparing for family celebrations when the typhoon arrived.
Images of the area showed debris blocking roads, downed light poles, shattered houses and people huddled in evacuation centers.
On Thursday, the Regional Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management reported that 13 people had died in the Western Visayas region, while the Civil Defense Office said three had died in Eastern Visayas, according to CNN Philippines, a CNN affiliate .
CNN Philippines had previously reported that national and local agencies had announced 21 deaths. Since then, that figure has been revised as agencies try to verify the number of people affected.
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Two of the victims were electrocuted and one was hit by the fall of a mango tree, authorities said.
One of the victims, Carlos Yu Beltrán, 70, drowned when his house was razed in the city of Balangkayan in Samar, according to the state Information Agency of the Philippines (PIA).
Five fishermen from Samar Island are also missing.
"Let's wait and pray for them to be safe," said East Samar governor Ben Evardone in a statement.
Around 2,351 people have been affected by the typhoon and 1,654 people were taking refuge in evacuation centers, according to the Philippine National Disaster Management Agency, NDRRMC. A total of 58,400 people were evacuated preventively before the typhoon, the NDRRMC said.
The Agency said 87 cities and municipalities experienced power outages, and by Thursday, 24 of them had their power restored.
Phanfone followed a similar path to the devastating typhoon Haiyan of 2013, which was one of the most powerful storms recorded and killed at least 6,000 people.
The total extent of the damage has not yet been determined, since energy and communications in several areas remain cut off.
Some tourist areas, including the popular tourist island of Boracay, also suffered damage on Wednesday. The nearby Kalibo International Airport was temporarily closed and flights were canceled after the typhoon damaged the roof of the terminal building, according to a Philippine Airlines notice.
Thousands of people traveling during the Christmas period had their flights canceled due to the typhoon. Some 115 domestic flights were canceled and more than 15,700 passengers were stranded, according to the NDRRMC.
Nearly 4,000 people remained stranded in several ports in the region, the Philippine Coast Guard said Thursday.
The Philippines suffers more typhoons than any other country, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Earlier this month, Typhoon Kammuri, the 20th that hit the country this year, killed 13 people and damaged more than 8,000 homes.
On Thursday, Phafone was tracking the South China Sea with winds of 150 kilometers per hour. The storm is expected to maintain typhoon intensity for at least the next 24 hours as it moves westward, but it will weaken to a tropical depression before hitting land in northern Vietnam on Sunday, according to CNN meteorologists.
CNN's Akanksha Sharma contributed reports.
Philippines Typhoon
