Thousands of people displaced as powerful Typhoon Doksuri hits Philippines

ANKARA

Thousands of people have been displaced and affected by the powerful Typhoon Doksuri in the Philippines, as authorities called in armed forces to assist the civil administration in evacuating people to safer places, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

According to the Philippine News Agency, the authorities are also validating reports of one person killed in Calabarzon and two others injured in Calabarzon and Western Visayas areas.

So far, the typhoon has affected 44,356 families or approximately 180,439 people in various coastal areas, with thousands of them evacuated to safer locations.

Some 57 houses have been reported damaged in different areas, and there have been reports of power and communication system outages.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said electricity has been restored to over 93% of the affected areas and that rescue efforts will continue.

"Search, rescue, and retrieval personnel from our Armed Forces, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Coast Guard have also been deployed," he tweeted.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said many areas in Luzon, the northern end of the Philippines, will continue to experience strong winds along the coast near Fuga Island in Aparri, the Manila Times reported.

The weather agency forecast that Typhoon Doksuri, also known locally as Egay, is expected to exit the Philippines on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the China Meteorological Administration on Wednesday also upgraded the typhoon alert to red, the highest level.

The weather agency requested that the provincial meteorological services declare an emergency as the fifth typhoon of the year is expected to bring heavy rain to the country's southern and eastern regions.

"Under this emergency state, it is required that relevant meteorological departments and provincial meteorological services like Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangdong should enter the emergency position immediately and put timely and precise forecast and refined services for the government, related sectors, and the public in place," the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement quoted by the agency.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), which is run by the US Navy and Air Force in Hawaii, has designated Doksuri as a super typhoon.

Flight service in Taiwan disrupted

Typhoon Doksuri has also disrupted daily life in various parts of Taiwan, with authorities closing schools and offices and canceling dozens of domestic and international flights, local media reported.

According to Taiwan Civil Aviation Administration, 47 domestic and four international flights were canceled until Wednesday morning, as were 127 ferry services on 17 routes, the majority of which were between domestic destinations.

Authorities also evacuated 333 people in Kaohsiung city, while the railway administration announced that services on its South Link Line between Kaohsiung and Taitung will be suspended due to the approaching typhoon.

Authorities in Hualien City, on Taiwan’s east coast, announced the closure of some schools and offices following the weather agency's issuing a rain forecast, the Focus Taiwan news website reported.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid