By DPA
Manila : Several domestic flights were cancelled Friday in the Philippines as a powerful typhoon threatened the country’s eastern provinces, aviation officials said.
Among the flights cancelled were those going to Legazpi City in Albay province, 330 km southeast of Manila, which is likely to be hit by typhoon Mitag Saturday.
Hundreds of passengers were also stranded in ports in the eastern region of Bicol as coast guard officials stopped sea vessels from sailing due to large waves.
The Philippine weather bureau warned against complacency amid the relative calm as Mitag continued to gain strength while nearing Bicol.
Typhoon Mitag’s maximum sustained winds increased to 160 km per hour with gusts of 195 km per hour, said Nathaniel Cruz, a senior official of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
“This calm is only temporary,” he said. “We expect the weather to worsen later in the day.”
The Office of the Civil Defence said close to 50,000 people have been evacuated from their homes at the foot of Mayon Volcano in Albay province, 330 km southeast of Manila.
The agency added about 250,000 more may be evacuated from homes in the coastal areas of Bicol region, depending on the direction Mitag takes.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the evacuation in an effort to prevent casualties.
Last year more than 1,000 people were killed and thousands more were displaced when continuous heavy rains triggered mudslides on the slope of Mayon Volcano.
Earlier in the week, 13 people were killed in landslides and flash floods in southern Philippines due to days of heavy rains brought about by tropical storm Hagibis, which exited the country Tuesday.