Manila, 27 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - At least eight people have died in the Philippines as typhoon Doksuri savaged the region with strong winds and heavy rains.

In the Philippines, the national disaster agency said it received reports of five people killed in flash floods and landslides, while police and local authorities tallied three more fatalities.

The victims were two women who drowned in floods in Rizal province, just east of Manila, five people buried in landslides in the northern Benguet province, and one hit by a fallen coconut in northern Isabela province.

At least four coastguard rescuers were missing in the northern province of Cagayan, after their boat overturned while helping 7 crew members of a tugboat that drifted due to the typhoon, the coastguard said.

More than 26,000 people were displaced by the storm.

Large parts of the region were temporarily without electricity, and dozens of flights were cancelled and shipping traffic suspended.

Almost 330,000 people in 31 provinces were affected by the storm, which was temporarily classified as a super typhoon with gusts of up to 240 kilometres per hour.

The tropical storm, named Egay in the Philippines, made landfall on several islands in the far north of the Philippines early on Wednesday morning. On Thursday, heavy rain and strong winds still lashed the area.

In Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau warned on Thursday that more heavy rain and strong wind brought by Doksuri might continue into early Friday in eastern and southern parts of the island.

Meanwhile, warnings of floods and landslides were also issued. The Central Emergency Operation Center said on Thursday that about 6,000 residents in the affected countries had been evacuated.

Local television reports on Thursday showed images of roads damaged by mudflows and fallen trees in mountains. Some villages located in coastal low-lying areas in southern Pingtung County were partly inundated.

On Thursday, residents nationwide were strongly urged to stay away from flood-prone places and coastal areas. Waves of up to 6 metres were observed along the coasts of south-eastern Taiwan. The warning came after a deadly accident was reported on Wednesday when a 57-year-old woman drowned in eastern Hualien County.

On Thursday, schools and offices in southern and eastern parts of the island were shut down due to bad weather. Some local trains and ferry services in affected counties continued to be suspended.

On Thursday, all of Taiwan’s domestic flights were suspended. More than 100 international flights were either cancelled or delayed, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration. 

China meanwhile declared a red alert, the highest typhoon warning level, for the approaching typhoon.

The national weather service warned that the fifth typhoon of the year would make landfall on Friday, bringing heavy rainfall to the east and south of the country the state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.

According to Xinhua, the storm is expected to hit parts of eastern China's Fujian province and neighbouring Guangdong province.

The Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong also issued warnings.

Photo: EPA