Nearly 10,000 people had moved to safer ground in the Philippines’ northern localities ahead of Typhoon Yutu’s arrival.

Typhoon Yutu strikes the Philippines with sustained winds of 150km per hour. (Photo: VNA)

Yutu, which made landfall in the country early October 30 with sustained winds of 150km per hour, sheared off roofs and snapped trees in half. Cutting a path just south of last month’s Typhoon Mangkhut, which killed more than 100 people, the new storm tore across the Philippines’ most populous island and dumped heavy rain along its way.

Many local houses have been isolated as landslides blocked a main road in the northern mountain area.

According to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Yutu is likely to be the most intense and powerful storm this year. However, Philippine disaster officials said the storm was less powerful than Mangkhut, which hit the country six weeks ago.

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 storm on record is super Typhoon Haiyan which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in 2013.

(Source: VNA)