A tree fell on 3 people yesterday after a freak storm hit Sydney’s Northern Beaches yesterday afternoon, killing one woman. Locals say the cyclone-like conditions snapped large trees off at their base, and there were reports of damage to homes and businesses in Dee Why, Narrabeen and Curl Curl and Forestville.

The bodies of 4 people have been recovered from the water off Redcliffe, near Brissie, after their plane crashed off the end of the runway yesterday morning. Police said the victims were a 67yo male pilot and his joy flight passengers. They were a 41-year-old Brisbane man, his 10yo daughter and 9yo son.

And Typhoon Rai, one of the most powerful storms to hit the region in recent years, has killed at least 169 people in the Philippines’ southeast. The storm hit on Friday night, and officials and aid organisations are just now coming to terms with the damage after sustained winds of 195km/h blasted the region. Some pics from the Coast Guard show the devastation… And it’s not done yet – Vietnam and Taiwan are bracing for Rai’s arrival.