Hundreds evacuated as Chanthu slams into Philippines, Taiwan braces for impact

dpa Manila/Taipei Powerful Typhoon Chanthu slammed into the northern Philippines on Saturday, forcing hundreds to flee their homes amid heavy rains and st...

dpa Manila/TaipeiPowerful Typhoon Chanthu slammed into the northern Philippines on Saturday, forcing hundreds to flee their homes amid heavy rains and strong winds, as the storm set course for Taiwan.Chanthu was packing maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 250 kph as it made landfall over Batanes province, the weather bureau said.The national disaster agency has received reports of rooftops being ripped off in Batanes and cuts to power in nearby Cagayan province, but so far has not received word of any casualties.At least 415 people evacuated the hardest-hit areas ahead of the storm due to fears of flash floods and rain-triggered landslides, the agency said.The storm was moving north-west at 15 kph, and was expected to cross over Batanes and head toward Taiwan, where a slew of weather warnings have been issued, by late Saturday.In Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday urged residents to avoid going out as torrential rain and strong winds started to lash eastern parts of the island.“People living in low-laying coastal areas and mountains have to stay highly alert,” Tsai said. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said that Chanthu was currently in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.The bureau said Chanthu is expected to move north and the eye of the storm will pass through the waters off Taiwan’s east coast on Sunday.It was then forecasted to impact southern China.On Saturday, dozens of domestic and international flights were delayed or cancelled, according to Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration.