More than 14,000 people have been evacuated as Typhoon Koppu destroyed houses, toppled trees and knocked out power lines in the Philippines.
The category four typhoon, with winds of 109mph (175kph), hit shore near the northern town of Casiguran in Aurora province.
Sky News reported that officials said one person has been killed and six others are missing.
Alexander Pama, who heads the government’s main disaster agency, said villagers have fled from areas in the typhoon’s path, including in towns prone to flash floods and landslides.
Toppled electric pylons and trees were making it hard for emergency workers to reach isolated villages.
Authorities said 30 flights and ferry services in the north were cancelled.
Some bus services have been suspended because of the threat of landslides.
Forecasters predict Koppu will remain over the main northern island of Luzon for three days due to high pressure in the north and another typhoon in the northwest Pacific.
The centre of the storm is moving west at a speed of just 5mph (8kph).
“It has slowed almost to a crawl. We’re hoping it would speed up and spare us sooner,” said Mr Pama.
On Friday, President Benigno Aquino appealed on TV for people not to panic.
The last time he made a televised appeal was in 2013, the day before super typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, killing over 6,300 people and leaving millions homeless.
An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year.
Posted by Janice Johnson
