(Dapaong) The mighty typhoon Rai, accompanied by high winds and torrential rains, approached the central and southern Philippines on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, authorities said.
The typhoon is accompanied by winds of 165 km / h, which could reach 195 km / h by the time it makes landfall on Thursday afternoon near the tourist island of Siargao, according to the Philippine Meteorological Agency.
“Destructive winds could cause moderate to severe damage to structures and vegetation,” warned the agency, which also warned of potentially deadly flooding along the coastline.
According to the National Disaster Prevention Agency, more than 45,000 people left their homes to take refuge in shelters, including many vacationers who took advantage of the region’s famous beaches and diving spots.
Rai is a particularly late typhoon in the season. Most tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean form between July and October.
This typhoon is expected to cross the Philippines from east to west in the coming days, passing over the islands of Mindanao and Palawan, before moving away over the South China Sea towards Vietnam.
The Philippines, considered one of the countries most vulnerable to global warming, is struck each year by around 20 typhoons which often wreak havoc on homes, crops and infrastructure in already very poor regions.