
PHILIPPINES - Typhoon Fung-wong has made landfall in the Philippines, where more than 900,000 people have been evacuated and two people have died.

The storm was upgraded to a super typhoon before hitting land, with sustained winds of around 185 km/h (115mph) and gusts of 230km/h (143mph). The eye of the storm hit Aurora province in Luzon - the Philippine's most populous island - at 21:10 local time (13:10 GMT). The country's meteorological service warned there is a "high-risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge" as the typhoon moves north-westerly across Luzon. Fung-wong - known locally as Uwan - comes days after an earlier storm, Kalmaegi, left a trail of destruction and nearly 200 people dead.
Eastern parts of the Philippines had already begun experiencing heavy rains and winds on Saturday evening, a weather official said. Residents in Catanduanes, an island in the east of the Bicol region, as well as in other low-lying and coastal areas, had been urged to move to higher ground by Sunday morning.
The storm passed near the eastern Bicol region on Sunday morning, before making its way past the Polillo Islands on Sunday afternoon. The civil defence office reported that one person drowned and firefighters recovered the body of a woman trapped under debris in Catbalogan City. The civil aviation regulator has closed several airports, and almost 300 flights have been cancelled. Fung-wong was expected to weaken after making landfall, but is likely to remain a typhoon as it travels over Luzon.
More than 200mm of rain is forecast for parts of Luzon, with even 100-200mm in the Metro Manilla area. This is expected to cause severe flooding and landslides. (BBC)

