Typhoon Goni hits hard the Philippines where nearly 350,000 are in evacuation centres. The natural disaster is moving towards the capital city Manila, where it is due to hit later on Sunday.
The Philippines emergency services have reported on four people died due to the typhoon Goni. As SkyNews reported, the world’s strongest storm so far this year made landfall in the southern Bicol, Quezon and Albay regions.
Albay’s governor Al Francis Bichara reported of volcanic mudflows, as well as electricity supply and communication service outages across the region. Goni’s victims included one person who was reportedly hit by a tree and a five-year-old who has washed away after a river overflowed in Albay.
In Quezon, governor Danilo Suarez said the power supply was cut in 10 towns.
On Sunday morning, the national meteorological service has downgraded Goni to typhoon category after it hit the Philippines. But the weather agency warned that the typhoon poses a direct threat while it moves towards the capital city. Goni is due to hit Manila later on Sunday, the meteorologists predict.
The agency warned that within the next 12 hours, people will experience “catastrophic violent winds and intense, or torrential rainfall”. At least 25 million people could be affected by powerful Goni, including those in danger zones and in Manila, the disaster management agency said.
The Philippines cancel international flights
Dozens of international and domestic flights have been cancelled as the civil aviation authority ordered a one-day closure of Manila’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Goni is among the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines since Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.
The weather bureau said it was also monitoring another cyclone, tropical storm Atsani, which could hit northern Luzon provinces in the coming days. In October, typhoon Molave struck the Philippines, at least 22 people have drowned in southern provinces.
