A POWERFUL typhoon that ploughed into the main Philippine island of Luzon weakened early on Monday, but forecasters warned the storm could still trigger widespread flash floods and landslides over several days.
A 14-year-old teenager was crushed to death by a falling tree and eight other people have been reported missing after Typhoon Koppu whipped up coastal surges four metres high, tore down trees and unleashed floods across the northern-eastern parts of the island, after making landfall early on Sunday with winds gusting over 200km/h.
Rescuers saw two human bodies floating in a village.
Television footage showed swollen rivers, roofs torn off houses and a hospital, and emergency agencies rescuing trapped victims.
Bridges collapsed and power was cut across a wide area.
The government said 23,000 people had been evacuated from the path of Koppu, the 10th typhoon to hit the storm-prone island nation this year.
Officials fear the typhoon could linger for days over the Luzon, home to 50 million people, as it dumps an expected 500 millimetres of rain.
"There's still danger. We shouldn't be complacent," government weather official Espie Cayanan said.
Officials said Koppu came to a crawl as it hit land, pummelling villages and towns for seven hours on Sunday.
Forecasters said the 600 kilometre-wide storm was unusually slow because it was trapped between another typhoon further east and a high-pressure area north of the Philippines.
Called "Lando" locally, the typhoon was moving at 5km/h towards the northern tip of Luzon on Monday, as President Benigno Aquino and emergency-response agencies warned people in its path to make preparations.
Most of central and northern Luzon remain under a category-two storm warning.
The storm will not directly hit Manila, a sprawling capital of 12 million people, but amid ferocious conditions in the city, officials implemented measures such as "no-walk" zones.
Dozens of flights and ferries were cancelled.
The typhoon is expected to stay within the Philippine area of responsibility until Saturday.
A 14-year-old teenager was crushed to death by a falling tree and eight other people have been reported missing after Typhoon Koppu whipped up coastal surges four metres high, tore down trees and unleashed floods across the northern-eastern parts of the island, after making landfall early on Sunday with winds gusting over 200km/h.
Rescuers saw two human bodies floating in a village.
Television footage showed swollen rivers, roofs torn off houses and a hospital, and emergency agencies rescuing trapped victims.
Bridges collapsed and power was cut across a wide area.
The government said 23,000 people had been evacuated from the path of Koppu, the 10th typhoon to hit the storm-prone island nation this year.
Officials fear the typhoon could linger for days over the Luzon, home to 50 million people, as it dumps an expected 500 millimetres of rain.
"There's still danger. We shouldn't be complacent," government weather official Espie Cayanan said.
Officials said Koppu came to a crawl as it hit land, pummelling villages and towns for seven hours on Sunday.
Forecasters said the 600 kilometre-wide storm was unusually slow because it was trapped between another typhoon further east and a high-pressure area north of the Philippines.
Called "Lando" locally, the typhoon was moving at 5km/h towards the northern tip of Luzon on Monday, as President Benigno Aquino and emergency-response agencies warned people in its path to make preparations.
Most of central and northern Luzon remain under a category-two storm warning.
The storm will not directly hit Manila, a sprawling capital of 12 million people, but amid ferocious conditions in the city, officials implemented measures such as "no-walk" zones.
Dozens of flights and ferries were cancelled.
The typhoon is expected to stay within the Philippine area of responsibility until Saturday.
