The Philippines is preparing for the most powerful storm to hit so far this year as Super Typhoon Mangkhut bears down on the islands.
Winds of up to 160mph are driving a 23ft wall of water towards the country with at least 10million expected to be in its path.
President Rodrigo Duterte has begun evacuating coastal regions before the storm makes landfall, which is expected to be some time on Saturday.
Super Typhoon Mangkhut is bearing down on the Philippines with winds of 160mph which are pushing a 23ft wall of water towards coastal towns
Heavy rains have already begun battering Quezon City, on the outskirts of the capital Manila, before the typhoon makes landfall some time on Saturday
The government has begun evacuating thousands of people from coastal towns, with an estimated 10million in the path of the storm
Mangkhut will be the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines so far this year, with the country rocked by 20 typhoons each season
Once it has swept over the Philippines, Mangkhut will continue to China where millions more are at risk in areas along the coast.
Thousands are evacuating seaside areas of the northern tip of the main Philippine island of Luzon, where the storm is expected to make landfall early Saturday.
‘The pre-emptive evacuation is going on in our coastal municipalities, the villages that are prone to storm surge,’ local government spokesman Rogelio Sending said.
‘We are going to evacuate more.’
Flooding, landslides and wind damage from the coming storm were top concerns as authorities prepared equipment for rescue and relief operations.
Schools were shuttered and some farmers took to their fields to start early harvest of corn and rice that could be ruined by flooding.
The storm has already swept over the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.
A mother and her son pick their way across an already flooded street in Quezon City
Schools have been shuttered across the country as authorities warn of flooding, landslides and wind damage from the coming storm
Cars make their way along water-logged streets on the outskirts of Manila on Thursday
Government workers collect trash and debris along the shore of Manila Bay to prevent it from being swept up by the coming storm surge
Binmen clear rubbish from the streets of Manila ahead of the typhoon to avoid it being washed into water supplies and poisoning them
On Guam, the typhoon knocked down houses, power lines and trees, with around 88 per cent of the island having electricity by Thursday morning.
Emergency supplies were flown to the island using the world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov Airlines AN-255.
The huge jet, which has six engines and a 290ft wingspan, was used to transport food and water supplies from California, landing on Guam on Wednesday.
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 on record is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November 2013.
The state weather service said Mangkhut will be the strongest typhoon so far this year, with sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour.
The typhoon is expected to boost the intensity of seasonal monsoon rains that have already caused widespread flooding in central Luzon, a mainly farming region north of capital Manila.
Poor communities reliant on fishing are some of the most vulnerable to fierce typhoon winds and the storm surge that pounds the coast.
Philippine soldiers practice land and water rescue skills as part of their preparations for the coming typhoon
Every years hundreds of people in the Philippines are killed and millions more left in a state of perpetual poverty because of the storms
The government says thousands more people will be evacuated from the most vulnerable communities before the storm hits (pictured, soldiers prepare for rescue operations)
Fatalities are expected across the northern tip of the Philippines largest island when the storm hits on Saturday (pictured, soldiers practice emergency rescues)
‘It will bring destruction. They are the ones greatly affected. Even moderate winds can topple their houses,’ regional civil defence official Dante Balao told AFP.
Hong Kong is also in Mangkhut’s sights and preparations there were already underway, though the storm was not expected to hit until Sunday.
Social media users and radio commentators in Hong Kong said they were stocking up on food and supplies.
The Hong Kong Observatory warned residents to prepare for the storm, saying it posed a ‘considerable threat’.
The Philippines state weather service said heavy rains and strong winds are expected from Friday over the north and centre of Luzon, along with rough seas on the coasts.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it expects ‘substantial damage’ on the Philippine path of Mangkhut.
Storm surges of up to seven metres (23 feet) are expected to hit coastal areas, it said, while heavy rains could trigger landslides and flash floods.
The civil defence office in Manila said towns and cities on Mangkhut’s path are preparing government buildings as evacuation centres, stockpiling food and other emergency rations.