Forecasters in the Philippines say Typhoon Mangkhut has made landfall in the country’s northeastern coast.
Witnesses say the storm’s wind and rain ripped off tin roof sheets and outed power at the start of the onslaught.
Forecasters said the typhoon made landfall in the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province nearly two hours after midnight in the northern tip of the main Luzon island.
Powerful and dangerous Super Typhoon #Mangkhut remains on a collision course with Luzon in the northern #Philippines. The Category 5 storm has sustained winds near 167 mph (269 kph) and an enormous eye, seen here from the Himawari-8 satellite. #OmpongPH pic.twitter.com/RJ7N6HSxr0
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 14, 2018
It is an agricultural region of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces often hit by landslides.
More than 5 million people are at risk from the storm, which the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Centre categorises as a super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category 5 Atlantic hurricane.
