Taiwan prepares for strong typhoon as monsoon rains kill 13 in the Philippines

Taiwan closed shuttered offices, schools and tourist sites across the island ahead of a powerful typhoon that already increased seasonal rains in the Philippines, killing at least 13 people and displacing 600,000.

Typhoon Gaemi’s outer skirt was bringing heavy rain to much of Taiwan, where a direct landfall was expected on Wednesday evening local time in the northern county of Ylan.

Fishing boats were recalled to port amid turbulent seas, while air travellers were rushing to board overseas flights before the storm arrives, amid numerous cancellations.

On Wednesday morning, the typhoon was east of Taiwan moving at 11mph with maximum sustained wind speeds of 113mph, the Central Weather Administration said.

In the capital Taipei, heavy rain was falling, but high winds had not yet arrived.

The rains set off at least a dozen landslides and floods over five days, killing at least eight and displacing 600,000 people, including 35,000 who went to emergency shelters, the Philippines’ disaster risk mitigation agency said.

A landslide buried a rural shanty on Tuesday in the mountainside town of Agoncillo in Batangas province, and the bodies of a pregnant woman and three children, aged nine to 15, were dug out on Wednesday morning.

A rice porridge vendor was hit by a falling tree in another Batangas town on Tuesday night, raising the toll in the country to 13 dead.

In the densely populated region around the Philippine capital, government work and school classes were suspended after non-stop rains flooded many areas overnight, trapping cars in rising floodwater and stranding people in their homes.

Residents who ventured out of their homes waded into knee and waist-high floodwaters with some using improvised dinghies and paddling their way alongside cars, trucks and SUVs.

In Marikina city in the eastern fringes of the Manila region, the continuing downpour swelled a major river, prompting many residents to flee to safety.

The strong currents swept away a steel cargo container, refrigerators, pieces of home furniture and tree trunks, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages.

“People there may not have eaten for days,” Mr Marcos said in a televised emergency meeting.

The Philippine coast guard said more than 350 passengers and cargo truck drivers and workers were stranded in seaports after ferries and cargo ships were prohibited from venturing into rough seas.

It added that coast guard personnel helped more than 200 residents evacuate a coastal village in Batangas province south of Manila where storm-tossed waves have hit coastal houses.

The storm prompted the cancellation of air force drills off Taiwan’s east coast and ferry services on Tuesday.

Despite occasional flooding, Taiwan has substantially improved its resiliency through early warnings and preparations. The effects of the storm were expected to continue into Friday as it moved in a northwestern direction toward mainland China.