Strong Typhoon Approaches Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The Philippines' main island, including the national capital, Manila, is under a tropical cyclone warning for a typhoon forecast to hit Monday night into Tuesday.

Local governments have told thousands of people to evacuate vulnerable areas such as coastal communities. The worst conditions are forecast for southeastern provinces on Luzon, the most populous island in the archipelago.

Philippine forecasters say Typhoon Kammuri (also called Tisoy) has maximum sustained winds of 150 kph (93 mph) near the center and gusts up to 185 kph (115 mph) at midafternoon Monday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned of potentially severe flooding for Albay province, Samar and Leyte islands. For the metropolitan Manila region in western Luzon, intense rainfall was possible into Wednesday.

Some events during the Southeast Asian Games being hosted in the Philippines have been rescheduled and postponed for safety reasons.

(KR)