Thousands evacuate ahead of Typhoon Mangkhut in Philippines

A super typhoon roared toward the Philippines, prompting thousands to evacuate ahead of its heavy rains and fierce winds that are set to strike at the weekend before moving on to China.

 

Typhoon Mangkhut, which is currently a Category 4 hurricane, is due to make landfall on the northern tip of the main island of Luzon by Saturday.

 

Mangkhut is speeding across the Pacific with winds that can gust



as high as 255 kilometres or 160 miles per hour.

 

An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people and leaving millions in near- perpetual poverty.

 

The country's deadliest on record is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November 2013.