At least six people have died after a super typhoon barrelled through the Philippines, mere days after an earlier storm left more than 200 people dead.
Super typhoon Fung-wong brought floods and landslides, which caused most of the deaths. It also cut power across entire provinces. It later weakened into a typhoon.
More than 1.4 million people were evacuated ahead of it making landfall in the Philippines. It is now heading for Taiwan, where more than 3,000 people have been evacuated.
Fung-wong was the 21st typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year, at a time when many residents are still struggling to recover from back-to-back natural disasters.
Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, slammed into Aurora province on Luzon Sunday night with sustained winds of around 185 km/h (115mph) and gusts of 230 km/h.
The Philippines' meteorological service had earlier warned of destructive winds and high risks of life-threatening storm surges from the very intense typhoon.
In Cabanatuan, one of the worst-hit cities, the BBC saw residents rushing into their homes to pull out furniture and pets, desperate to salvage their possessions as water levels rose.
Although its wind speeds did not reach those of some of the strongest storms in the country's history, Fung-wong dumped large amounts of rain, leaving some 4,100 houses either totally destroyed or partially damaged.
Cabanatuan resident Mercidita Adriano, who prepared for the storm by trimming trees near her home, huddled with her family in a small room, praying throughout the day that the typhoon would spare them. Part of their roof was torn off by the heavy rain.
As of Tuesday morning, large parts of the country remain under water, though levels have begun to recede.
This disaster comes just days after typhoon Kalmaegi ripped through the same region, devastating tens of thousands of people. Additionally, in September, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the province of Cebu.
While the Philippines is prone to natural disasters, this series of calamities is not routine, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated. They emphasized that this serves as a stark reminder of the escalating climate and seismic risks faced by vulnerable nations, highlighting the urgent need for increased support to aid recovery efforts.
