Manila: Typhoon Rai has hit Philippines before making landfall and quickly intensified into a Category 5 storm on Thursday, triggering mass evacuations and airline cancellations as floodwaters reached chest-high in low-lying areas.Rai, the 15th typhoon to hit Philippine this year, touched down on the holiday island of Siargao in the southern province of Surigao del Norte, carrying maximum sustained winds of up to195 kilometres per hour (121 miles per hour), said Philippine weather bureau.
On its route to the central part of the archipelago, the second-most powerful typhoon to hit the country this year poured heavy rains on southern islands, forcing almost 100,000 people to flee their homes. There have been reports of power outages and floods in certain locations, but no injuries have been reported so far.
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