MANILA, November 27 (RIA Novosti) - The death toll in the aftermath of Typhoon Mitag, which hit the Philippines on Sunday, has risen to 12, local media reported on Tuesday.

Thousands of people were evacuated from regions in the country's north and east before the typhoon reached inland, causing devastation as winds reaching 190km/h (121mph) tore down power lines and destroyed crops.

A severely-weakened Typhoon Mitag was reported to be now heading towards Japan.

As the clean up operation got underway in the Philippines, a search was underway for a fishing vessel carrying 27 sailors, as well as a military aircraft with two pilots on board which had been dispatched to search for it.

The plane, an AS-211, lost contact with air traffic controllers shortly after takeoff, and its fate is still unknown.

Mitag is a female name which means ``my eyes'' in Yapese, an Oceanic language.