Over 100,000 evacuated as super typhoon Fung-wong barrels toward Philippines

MANILA: The Philippines evacuated more than 100,000 people on Sunday as Super Typhoon Fung-wong gathered strength ahead of a possible landfall later in the night, with authorities warning of fierce winds, flooding rains and dangerous storm surges.

Storm alert signals have been hoisted across large parts of the Philippines, with Signal No. 5, the highest warning, raised over southeastern Luzon, including Catanduanes and coastal areas of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, while Metro Manila and surrounding areas are under Signal No. 3.

Packing sustained winds of 185kph (11mph) and gusts of up to 230 kph, Super Typhoon Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, is forecast to make landfall in Aurora province in central Luzon Sunday night at the earliest.

Parts of Eastern Visayas were already experiencing power outages.

Some images shared by the Philippine Coast Guard in Camarines Sur showed evacuees carrying bags and personal belongings as they transferred from long, narrow passenger boats to waiting trucks during preemptive evacuation operations.

300 flights cancelled

More than 300 domestic and international flights have been cancelled, according to the civil aviation regulator.

A video shared by ABS-CBN News on X showed stormy conditions in Catanduanes province, with an overcast sky, tree branches swaying violently in the wind, and strong rain visibly falling and pounding the area, its intensity audible.

Fung-wong approached the Philippines just days after the country was battered by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 204 people and left a trail of destruction before slamming into Vietnam, where it claimed five more lives and devastated coastal communities.

In the fishing village of Vung Cheo in central Vietnam, fishing vessels were seen piled up in wrecks along the main road on Saturday, where hundreds of lobster farms had been washed away or damaged.