Tens of thousands flee as super typhoon hits the Philippines

This handout photo taken and received on December 16, 2021 from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows a Coast Guard member accompanying evacuated residents as they cross a bridge over an overflowing river in Tubay town on southern Mindanao island, amid heavy rains brought about by Super Typhoon Rai.

Thousands of people in the Philippines fled their homes and beachfront resorts as super typhoon Rai slammed into the country Thursday, with a charity warning the storm could hit coastal communities "like a freight train".

Rai was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres (120 miles) an hour as it made landfall on the southern island of Siargao at 1:30 pm (0530 GMT), the state weather forecaster said.

It is the strongest storm to hit the disaster-prone country this year.

"This monster storm is frightening and threatens to hit coastal communities like a freight train," said Alberto Bocanegra, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines.