Manila: Philippine disaster relief authorities Saturday called for the evacuation of thousands of residents living in coastal areas in northern provinces as a stronger Typhoon Koppu bore down on the country.
More than two dozen domestic flights were cancelled because of heavy rains and strong winds, while sea travel was suspended amid choppy seas.
Koppu gained intensity and slowed down as it approached the northern province of Aurora, where it was expected to make landfall on Sunday morning, the weather bureau said.
It was now packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 210 kph, while moving west at 10 kph.
The typhoon was expected to bring heavy to intense rain within a 650-kilometre diameter and could linger for up to three days over the northern Philippines, the weather bureau warned.
QNA
