Typhoon Maysak melts away as it hits Philippines

A super typhoon dissolved into a tropical depression and made landfall in the Philippines Sunday, forecasters said, easing fears after thousands of residents fled remote coastal villages to avoid potential giant waves. Maysak, which began as a Super Typhoon in the Pacific Ocean, reached the northeast coast of the main island of Luzon at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) with winds of 55 kilometres an hour, chief state weather forecaster Esperanza Cayanan said.

As of now, most of our fears have melted away.

Chief state weather forecaster Esperanza Cayanan

The government had evacuated more than 25,000 people from coastal villages in the region, while police drove away thousands of tourists from beaches on nearby Aurora province as a precaution against potential tsunami-like waves known as storm surges. At its current strength, Maysak can break tree branches and may take the roofs off houses made of light materials, while sea travel remains risky for small boats, the state weather service said in its latest bulletin.

World typhoon maysak