Hundreds of people fled their homes as floods unleashed by Super Typhoon Saola swept through mainly rural villages in the northeastern Philippines, rescue officials said Sunday.
Saola brushed past the northeast section of the main island of Luzon overnight Saturday, bringing its 185-kilometre-per-hour (115-mile-per-hour) central winds within 125 kilometres of Tuguegarao, a city of about 160,000 people.
The provincial government’s press office released photos on its Facebook page of knee-deep floodwaters swamping homes in the municipality of Aparri.
There were also widespread electricity cuts across the province of 1.2 million people due to downed power lines, but otherwise there were no casualties or signs of serious damage, he added.
Saola headed south off Luzon’s east coast early Sunday, with the state weather service saying it would stay in coastal waters instead of making landfall.
Rescue officials in Isabela and Aurora, east coast provinces south of Cagayan, told AFP there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties there.
The weather service said the main threat was from heavy rain that could trigger flash floods or landslides.