Super Typhoon Fung-Wong made landfall in the Philippines on Sunday with two fatalities reported and one million people evacuated ahead of one of the nation's most powerful storms this year.
The storm crossed over the north of the archipelago's most populous island, Luzon, weather bureau PAGASA said, with torrential rain, sustained winds of 185 kph, and gusts of up to 230 kph.
It was the 21st storm this year to hit a nation that was only just recovering from Typhoon Kalmaegi, which left 224 dead in the Philippines and five in Vietnam.
"We heard on the news that the typhoon is very strong, so we evacuated early," said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who camped with his family on a basketball court in Isabela province on Luzon.
Given previous flooding, the family moved their possessions to their roof before leaving. "We’re scared. We're here with our grandchildren and our kids," he said in the sports arena dotted by tents, elderly people on plastic chairs, and children roaming.
One drowned, another killed by debris
Luzon and another island, Eastern Visayas, bore the brunt of the storm's early onslaught, with one person drowned and another trapped under debris, authorities said.
The storm was expected to weaken as it moved inland.
Pope Leo offered prayers for the predominantly Catholic nation. "I am close to the people of the Philippines affected by a violent typhoon. I pray for the deceased and their families, for the injured and the displaced," he said on Sunday.
In Aurora province on Luzon island, where the storm arrived, lights went out but phone lines remained working, civil defense official Cheng Quizon told DZBB radio.
Several airports, including Sangley near the capital Manila and Bicol to the south, closed.
Fung-Wong is expected to head north of the Philippines and reach coastal waters on Monday morning while remaining a typhoon, PAGASA said, before heading out to sea and weakening as it reaches western Taiwan on Thursday.