People watch as strong waves batter Basco, Batanes province, northern Philippines as Typhoon Ragasa affects the area on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Justine Mark Pillie Fajardo)
MANILA (dpa): Super Typhoon Ragasa slammed into the northern Philippines on Monday, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds that ripped off rooftops, toppled trees and electric posts, and triggered storm surges along some coastal areas.
More than 10,000 people evacuated their homes ahead of Ragasa’s landfall over Panuitan Island, part of the Babuyan Islands in the northern province of Cagayan, the Department of Interior and Local Government said.
"Strong winds and heavy rains have been battering the province since midnight last night," said Rueli Rapsing, chief of the provincial disaster agency in Cagayan. "Power has been cut off in the coastal communities since the morning."
Storm surges struck the coastal towns of Santa Ana and Aparri, causing flash floods that inundated homes. Some boats were damaged as surging waters pushed them against piers, while two bridges in Baggao municipality became impassable after a river overflowed, according to local media reports.
In Benguet province, landslides, rockfalls, fallen trees, and toppled power lines temporarily closed a highway and another key road leading into the province.
Julius Santos, an officer at the city disaster agency in Baguio City, said at least three vehicles were hit by landslides and rockfalls on Marcos Highway in Tuba town. At least two people were injured and were rushed to a hospital, he added.
The Philippine weather bureau said Ragasa, locally called Nando, carried maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts up to 295 kph, moving at 25 kph across the Philippines.
"Life-threatening conditions are imminent over the northern portion of northern Luzon (island) as Nando approaches the Babuyan Islands," the bureau said in its latest advisory. "Nando may maintain its strength or further intensify before its close approach to Babuyan Island."
The bureau was warning of heavy rainfall exceeding 200 millimetres, typhoon-force winds, rough seas, and storm surges up to 3 metres in affected coastal areas. Some 20 provinces were under high alert.
At least 30 domestic and international flights have been cancelled due to the severe weather.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the government is closely monitoring the situation in northern Philippines and that all emergency agencies are on alert.
In Taiwan, Ragasa's winds and heavy rain lashed the east coast and the island’s southern tip. The national disaster agency evacuated people from 1,800 households as a reservoir in Hualien County threatened to overflow. Ferries were halted and dozens of flights were cancelled.
Forecasters expect the storm to track along the coast of southern China and Hong Kong on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Guangdong province, the city of Jiangmen announced that schools, workplaces and public transport would shut from Tuesday. Local TV channels reported that the major cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen may adopt similar measures.
Several airlines cancelled additional flights to and from Hong Kong, and reports said the airport is considering a temporary shutdown from Tuesday night through Thursday morning. According to calculations by the South China Morning Post, around 700 flights could be cancelled during that period.
The Hong Kong government urged residents of low-lying areas to prepare for possible flooding as the storm approaches. - dpa
