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Thousands Flee as Typhoon Molave Slams Philippines

Thousands of people were evacuated in the Philippines with Typhoon Molave approaching.

Thousands Flee as Typhoon Molave Slams Philippines
A man paddles past fish cage barriers at the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos, the Philippines. (Photographer: Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg)

Thousands of people were evacuated in the Philippines as Typhoon Molave traverses the Southeast Asian nation.

The typhoon locally known as Quinta forced nearly 25,000 people in the Bicol region to leave their homes amid threats of landslides and flash floods, authorities said. Classes were suspended the capital region and in several provinces.

The typhoon has made its fifth landfall over Oriental Mindoro at 3:30 a.m. Monday, packing maximum winds of 125 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 180 kilometers, the Philippine weather bureau said. It is expected to re-intensify within 24 to 48 hours before exiting the country on Tuesday.

About 20 cyclones pass through the disaster-prone Philippines a year, mostly in the second half. The government in May said storms are likely to complicate the nation’s fight against the coronavirus as it will have to evacuates tens of thousands of people from typhoon-hit areas.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.