MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Ompong barrels towards densely populated Hong Kong and southern China, hours after it left the Philippine area of responsibility at 9 p.m. on Saturday, PAGASA said, as it warned of monsoon rains.
In its 23rd and final severe weather bulletin on "Ompong" at 5 a.m. Sunday, PAGASA said the eye of the typhoon, the strongest to hit the country this year, was located at 570 km west of Basco, Batanes at 4 a.m. today.
Related Stories
"Ompong" was packing maximum sustained winds of 145 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 180 kph. It moves at a west-northwest direction at 25 kph.
All tropical cyclone warning signals were lifted by PAGASA.
PAGASA weather forecaster Ariel Rojas said Saturday that even though the storm had passed the Philippines, it would continue to bring heavy rain in the country possibly causing more floods and landslides until Monday.
On Sunday, PAGASA said the southwest monsoon or "habagat" enhanced by "Ompong" would bring occasional gusty winds and scattered light to moderate to at times heavy rains over Western Visayas, Mimaropa, Ilocos Region, Batangas, Bataan and Zambales.
Fisherfolk and those with small seacrafts were also advised not to venture out over the northern and western seaboards of Luzon.
At least 8 dead
"Ompong" has smashed through the Philippines, as the biggest storm to hit the region this year claimed the lives of its first victims and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Roughly four million people—a quarter of whom live on a few dollars a day—were in the path of destruction that the storm slashed through the northern tip of Luzon island on Saturday, leaving at least eight dead.
"As we go forward, this number will go higher," Ricardo Jalad, head of the Office of Civil Defense, told reporters Saturday, referring to the death toll.
The dead were six people killed in landslides, a girl who drowned and a security guard crushed by a falling wall. In addition to the eight killed in the Philippines, a woman was swept out to sea in Taiwan.