Typhoon hits northern Philippines, hundreds evacuated

Typhoon Shantou hit the northern Philippines today, forcing hundreds of people to leave their homes amid torrential rains and strong winds, officials said.

Shantou was accompanied by winds of 205 kilometers per hour and gusts of 250 kilometers per hour when it made landfall over Batanes province, 678 kilometers north of the capital, Manila, the weather bureau said.

The office said the typhoon was moving northwest at 15 kilometers per hour and is expected to cross Batanes into the sea east of Taiwan this evening.

The National Disaster Agency said 415 people were forced to evacuate their homes in neighboring Cagayan and Isabela provinces, amid warnings of landslides and flooding due to heavy rains.

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