The Philippines is preparing to evacuate 100,000 people from coastal areas in the central Bicol region as typhoon Mitag gathers strength and approaches.
The head of the civil defence office said about 10,000 people living on the slopes of Mayon volcano had already been evacuated.
Coastal villages could be slammed by big waves as high as three to 10 metres whipped up by strong winds brought by the typhoon, he said.
Mitag, currently a category one typhoon with winds of 120 kph and gusts of up to 150 kph, is expected to make landfall either late Saturday or early Sunday and could yet veer north and pass through the main island of Luzon.
The Philippines is trying to avoid a repeat of last year's devastating typhoon Durian, which killed 1,200 people and left 120,000 homeless when it crashed through Bicol in December.
Mitag follows the recent storm Hagibis, which caused landslides, flooding and destruction of property, infrastructure and farmlands.
