Typhoon Fung-Wong kills 2 in Philippines, 1 mln evacuated

Super typhoon Fung-wong had caused two deaths and affected 830,000 people in the Philippines as of 06:00 local time on Monday after making landfall the previous night, the country's authorities said.

The Category 5 typhoon made landfall at Aurora province in the eastern part of Luzon Island of the Philippines at around 21:10 local time on Saturday, according to the state weather bureau.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 149 flood incidents have occurred nationwide, damaging over 1,000 houses and disrupting power supply in 170 cities and towns. Hundreds of cities and towns have suspended work and classes.

The Office of Civil Defense said that 1.4 million people evacuated across the Pacific archipelago country in advance.

In Baler, Aurora's provincial capital, which is only 70 kilometers away from the landing site, the typhoon brought trees down, partially obstructing traffic.

As typhoon Fung-wong has weakened and moved away from main part of Luzon, its impact on the city is gradually diminishing.

In Santiago City, Isabela, the floodwaters were reported rising up to an adult's chest. Several villages have been inundated, with roofs torn off homes and furniture floating in the muddy water. Residents have been wading through debris trying to salvage valuables.

A riverside community was submerged within minutes at the height of the typhoon. Some residents said that they took shelter under the nearby bridge when winds ripped through their houses.

"We were so scared that's why we did not stay inside our house last yesterday. We were already under the bridge since yesterday afternoon. I was scared because we were only two in the house and the winds were strong. So we spent the night here," said Dolores Rocero, a flood victim.

"My children were crying and they wanted to go out but I said they shouldn't because they might get hit by falling trees because there were so many trees that fell around our house. We were supposed to seek shelter in our neighbor's house but I couldn't do anything so we just stayed," said Jane Oren, another local resident.

The Philippines had just been severely hit by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which made landfall in the country on Nov 4 and claimed at least 224 lives as of Sunday morning.

Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, met with the European Parliament's delegation for relations with China led by chair Engin Eroglu in Beijing on Wednesday.

Li, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China is willing to work with the European Union (EU) to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation, and pursue mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

He said China stands ready to join hands with the EU to address global challenges, promote exchanges and cooperation among legislative bodies, effectively utilize communication mechanisms, and advance the sound and stable development of China-EU relations.

Eroglu said the EU stands ready to work with China to contribute to the development of EU-China relations.