Thousands flee after fourth major storm in a month

Thousands of people sought shelter, ports were shut down and landslides blocked mountain roads in the Philippines on Monday, as the disaster-weary nation was struck by a fourth cyclone in less than a month.

Typhoon Toraji hit near Dilasag town, about 220 kilometres (140 miles) northeast of the capital in the morning, the national weather agency said.

“We’re getting hit with strong winds and heavy rain. Some trees are being toppled and power has been cut since yesterday,” Merwina Pableo, civil defence chief of Dinalungan town near Dilasag, told journalists.

No casualties have been reported 11 hours after the typhoon ploughed through the mountainous interior of the main island of Luzon, provincial rescuers told AFP.

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They said at least 8,000 people were moved from coastal areas as well as flood and landslide-prone areas in the provinces of Aurora, Isabela, Ifugao, and Mountain Province.