Manila - A powerful typhoon dumped heavy rains in a wide area of the Philippines and triggered pocket landslides Thursday, but no casualties were reported, officials said. A police report said several landslides occurred in the mountainous province of Benguet, 225 kilometres north of Manila, rendering some of the roads impassable following heavy rains brought about by typhoon Chan-Hom.
It also rained all day in Manila and nearby provinces, triggering small floods and traffic jams.
Several domestic flights have been cancelled or delayed, while hundreds of passengers were stranded in several seaports after the coastguard prevented vessels from sailing due to rough seas.
Nathaniel Cruz, the weather bureau's chief forecaster, said Chan-Hom was expected to make landfall in the province of Pangasinan, 180 kilometres north of Manila, later in the day.
"We expect more rains and strong winds as Chan-Hom makes landfall," he said in a television interview.
Cruz warned people in the affected areas to remain on alert against flashfloods and landslides. He also urged people living along the shores and river banks to move to higher areas.
Chan-Hom, with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 185 kph, was moving at 26 kph east-north-east of the Philippines.
At least 30 provinces have been affected by the typhoon, which was expected to pummel the country in the next two days.
Chan-Hom's entry into the Philippines occurred a few days after typhoon Kujira battered eastern provinces, leaving 27 people dead and causing at least 451.73 million pesos (9.41 million dollars) in damage to agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
