DHAKA: Homes have been flattened, power lines toppled, and thousands of people have fled their homes as Typhoon Koppu swept into the northern Philippines.

Disaster agency officials said the storm was also whipping up coastal surges 4m high.

The huge, slow-moving typhoon made landfall near the town of Casiguran on the island of Luzon on Sunday morning, reports the BBC.

Koppu is predicted to bring three days of torrential rain, triggering major flooding and possibly landslides.

Alexander Pama, head of the government’s main disaster agency, said 10,000 people had been displaced in north-eastern Luzon but no casualties had been reported so far.

‘Initially, we are getting (reports that) many houses were destroyed, power lines toppled and trees blocking major roads,’ he said.

The eye of the storm was moving west at a speed of just 3km/h.

‘It has slowed almost to a crawl. We were hoping it would speed up and spare us sooner,’ Pama added.

Flights and ferry services in the north have been cancelled and some bus services in mountain areas suspended due to the threat of landslides.

BDST: 1328 HRS, OCT 18, 2015
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