This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7109013.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Many flee from Philippines storm Philippines storm changes course
(1 day later)
Tens of thousands of people are being moved from their homes in the Philippines as emergency crews prepare for the oncoming Typhoon Mitag. Typhoon Mitag has changed course and is now expected to hit the northern Philippines on Sunday, rather than the central Bicol region.
The storm, packing 175km/h (109mph) winds, is expected to strike in the Bicol region on Saturday and could hit the capital, Manila, the following day. Tens of thousands of evacuees in Bicol will now be able to return home.
Officials fear the typhoon could cause lethal mudslides in some areas. But officials have now ordered evacuations in northern provinces as fears of lethal mudslides grow.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is bracing itself for Typhoon Hagibis, which left 13 dead in the Philippines earlier this week. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, evacuees are returning home after Typhoon Hagibis - which left 13 dead in the Philippines last week - changed course.
Thousand of people are being evacuated by the Vietnamese authorities, and a search is under way for at least 25 sailors whose boat capsized after being lashed by high winds in the South China Sea. Forecasters said Mitag was gathering intensity off the coast of the Philippines and was expected to make landfall in the north-western Philippine provinces of Aurora and Isabela on Sunday night.
'Forced evacuations' Super typhoon?
Forecasters said Mitag had slowed and was gathering intensity off the eastern islands of the Philippines. Government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz told the Associated Press there was a "strong possibility of storm surges".
Government meteorologist Nathaniel Cruz told the Associated Press there was a "strong possibility of storm surges". He noted that Mitag could intensify into a "super typhoon" with winds reaching 220 km/h (137mph).
Animated guide: Typhoons
He noted that Mitag could intensify into a "super typhoon" with winds reaching 220 kph.
"The end result is that more things will be blown down and destroyed," he said."The end result is that more things will be blown down and destroyed," he said.
Joey Salceda, governor of Bicol's Albay province, said more than 60,000 people had been evacuated. Officials said that people in the central Albay region of the Philippines were especially relieved when the storm changed course.
But he told the Philippines Daily Inquirer newspaper hundreds of thousands more still needed to be moved, and that the authorities were now carrying out "forced evacuations". class="" href="/1/hi/sci/tech/4183344.stm">Animated guide: Typhoons
Classes in Albay's public schools have been suspended so the buildings can be converted into shelters. The province is still recovering from last year's Typhoon Durian which triggered flash floods and volcanic mudslides that killed more than 1,000 people.
Military and police trucks are being used to transport residents to evacuation centres. In Vietnam, soldiers and police helped people return to their homes after Typhoon Hagibis lost its power and changed course, officials announced.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Manila was in the storm warning area, with the outer edges of the typhoon's centre due to pass the capital on Sunday. The typhoon has now been downgraded to a tropical storm and is heading out to sea, according to Vietnamese forecasters.
Reuters reported that workers were dismantling advertisement billboards placed along the capital's major roads, fearing they could collapse and kill people. Meanwhile, a search is under way for at least 25 Filipino sailors whose boat capsized after being lashed by high winds in the South China Sea.
Earlier, President Gloria Arroyo gave the order to evacuate those at risk.
She said she did not want a repeat of last year's Typhoon Durian - which killed hundreds and left tens of thousands homeless, mainly in the Bicol region.