5 Dead as Typhoon Haima Hits Northern Philippines

At least five people have been killed in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Haima hit the country. The storm, which brought sustained winds of up to 225km/h (140mph), made landfall over Cagayan in the north on Wednesday. 

    Nearly 100,000 people were evacuated from threatened areas as the storm approached, according to the (BBC). There was widespread damage overnight, with homes destroyed and power lines brought down. 

    Experts had feared Haima could prove as destructive as the catastrophic super typhoon Haiyan, which claimed more than 7,350 lives in 2013. The storm was upgraded to a super typhoon just before it hit in Penablanca, a town in Cagayan province, around 23:00 local time (1500 GMT) on Wednesday.

    On Thursday morning, there were reports of damage across a wide area. Haima is now moving out across the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China.

Source: QNA