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Thousands Flee As Typhoon Kammuri Churns Towards Philippines

Thousands Flee As Typhoon Kammuri Churns Towards Philippines
folder_openAsia-Pacific... access_time4 years ago
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By Staff, Agencies

Tens of thousands of people were sheltering in evacuation centers as powerful Typhoon Kammuri barreled towards the Philippines, threatening plans for the Southeast Asian Games events near the capital Manila.

Kammuri is expected to make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday in the nation's east with intense rains and potent wind gusts of up to 185 kilometers per hour, forecasters said.

The storm is on track to then pass close to Manila, which is home to some 13 million people and the site for many of the SEA Games events.

Nearly 70,000 people have already fled their homes in the Bicol region, which is where the typhoon is expected to strike first.

The weather bureau also warned of rain-induced landslides and possible storm surges of up to three meters which could hit coastal areas in the nation's east.

The Philippines is hit by an annual average of 20 storms and typhoons, which kill hundreds and put people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.

The country's deadliest cyclone on record was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.

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