Typhoon Mangkhut: Millions in Philippines braced for storm

Thousands of people have begun evacuating coastal areas of the Philippines as a super typhoon heads towards the country, BBC News reports.

Typhoon Mangkhut, packing winds of 255km/h (160mph), is due to make landfall on the northern tip of the main island of Luzon by the weekend.

Schools and offices are being closed and farmers are racing to save crops.

Ten million people are in the path of the storm, along with millions more in coastal areas of southern China.

The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms a year. Forecasters say Mangkhut is the strongest so far in 2018 - 900km in diameter, with sustained winds of 205 km/h.

Authorities in the Philippines say they expect storm surges of up to 7m (23 feet) and are warning that heavy rains could trigger landslides and flash floods.

The country's deadliest storm on record is super typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people and affected millions in 2013.

In Hong Kong preparations are already under way for the storm, although it is not expected to hit until Sunday.