KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 15 people have been killed in landslides in the Philippines as Typhoon Bavi continues to threaten parts of the region, media reports said on Saturday.
A landslide that struck Malapatan town in Sarangani province on the southern island of Mindanao early Friday claimed the lives of 10 people, according to the Philippine News Agency.
In a separate incident, at least five people were killed in another landslide in the southern province of Lanao del Sur, Al Jazeera reported, citing local media.
Known locally as Inday, Typhoon Bavi entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday. Although it weakened as it moved northwest across the Philippine Sea near Northern Luzon, authorities warned that it could still trigger severe weather.
Malapatan Mayor Salway Sumbo Jr. said some of those killed in Sarangani were members of the same family. He added that residents in vulnerable areas were being evacuated as heavy rainfall continued across the region.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued weather advisories, saying that although Typhoon Bavi is not expected to make landfall in the Philippines, its outer rainbands could bring heavy rainfall and widespread flooding to several areas, including the capital, Manila.
Earlier this week, the powerful typhoon struck the US Pacific territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, causing significant infrastructure damage but no reported fatalities.
The storm is now moving toward other parts of East Asia, prompting evacuation efforts and emergency preparations.
Bavi is forecast to bring heavy rain to northern and eastern Taiwan, as well as parts of Japan, before making landfall in China.
Hundreds of residents have already been evacuated from their homes, while schools and government offices have been closed in parts of Taiwan as authorities brace for the storm.
Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo reported that heavy rainfall lashed Japan’s coastal Ishikawa Prefecture on Friday, with officials warning of worsening weather conditions.
Meanwhile, southern China is still recovering from the impact of Typhoon Maysak, which struck earlier this week. Flooding caused by a breached dam inundated the city of Nanning, leaving 39 people dead.
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