Typhoon Phanfone ravaged three provinces in the central Philippines over the Christmas holiday, with at least 16 people reported to have been killed.

The typhoon made landfall on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. over Salcedo in Eastern Samar Province, according to Pagasa, the national weather agency. The eastern portion of Samar Island caught the brunt of powerful winds and rainfall as the typhoon battered the province.

Thirteen people were killed in western Visayas, the central of the three main island groups that make up the Philippines, news agencies quoted disaster agency officials as saying. Three others were reported to have died in the eastern part of the island group.

The typhoon, known in the Philippines as Ursula, was upgraded from a tropical storm as it approached the country. It led to the evacuation of more than 58,000 people and stranded thousands of travelers over the holiday period. Ferries were suspended and flights canceled.