A typhoon gained strength as it approached the Philippines on Sunday, forcing thousands of people from their homes in coastal communities on the main island of Luzon and the cancellation of dozens of flights, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Typhoon Noru strengthened with maximum sustained winds of 195 kph (121 mph) and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph), the state weather bureau said in an advisory hours before the storm was expected to make landfall.
"Coconut trees are swaying while banana plants have been brought down," Angelique Bosque, the mayor of the Polillo Islands, told DZRH radio station.
The storm was likely to make a direct hit on the small islands just east of Luzon.