MANILA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Authorities have initially recorded 10 deaths and 13 missing as severe tropical storm Bualoi continues to barrel through the Philippines, the country's Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and local media reported on Friday.

OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro said seven died in the Eastern Visayas region in central Philippines, and three in the Bicol region.

"The number of deaths and missing are subject to verification and validation," Alejandro said, mentioning that 13 people are still missing.

Since it made landfall late Thursday night, Bualoi has battered many areas with gusty winds and heavy rains. Local authorities have struggled to help families trapped in flash floods in the Bicol region and other places.

Claudio Yucot, regional director of the OCD in Bicol, said nearly 25,000 families, or almost 87,500 individuals, of the Bicol region have been evacuated for safety.

On Friday evening, the country's state weather bureau, PAGASA, said Bualoi was moving west-northwestward at 30 km per hour. It may re-intensify into a typhoon within the next 12 hours as it moves over the South China Sea.

Bualoi is the 15th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year.

On average, around 20 typhoons strike the Philippines annually. The archipelago is particularly vulnerable to tropical cyclones, which often bring heavy rains, flooding, and strong winds, resulting in casualties and destruction of crops and properties. ■