Typhoon Doksuri battered the northern Philippines on Wednesday with torrential rains and "violent, life-threatening" winds, leaving at least three people dead and over 11,000 displaced, officials said.
Doksuri made landfall over Fuga Island off the northern province of Cagayan before dawn, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometres per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 240 km/h, the weather bureau said.
The typhoon maintained its strength despite making a second landfall over nearby Dalupiri Island, but it slowed down and was moving northwestward at 10 km/h, the bureau said.
Doksuri's winds knocked out power, while trees were uprooted and houses damaged, said Edgardo Posadas, a spokesman for the national disaster agency.
The typhoon triggered landslides and floods, which reached up to rooftops in some areas. A number of bridges were also impassable after rivers overflowed.
Two women drowned in flash floods in separate incidents in the province of Rizal, east of Manila, according to police.
One victim also died after being hit in the head by a fallen coconut in the northern Isabela province, the provincial governor said.
Dozens of domestic flights have been cancelled, while sea travel was suspended in affected regions, leaving thousands stranded in ports, according to the coastguard.
"Violent, life-threatening conditions are expected to continue over (the northern Philippines) in the next six hours," the weather bureau said.
Doksuri was expected to slightly weaken as it exits the Philippines on Thursday.
In Taiwan, Doksuri on Wednesday skirted the Hengchun Peninsula in the southern part of the island. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said on Wednesday that powerful winds and heavy rains have been observed in eastern and southern parts of Taiwan.
CWB officials said more intense rainfall and associated flooding might be seen on Thursday as Doksuri was about to get closer to the land on its way to enter the Taiwan Strait.
On Wednesday, some local trains and ferry services in southern and eastern counties of Taiwan were suspended. Dozens of domestic and international flights were also cancelled.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration said all domestic flights will be suspended on Thursday.
According to the Central Emergency Operation Centre, more than 4,000 residents in flood-prone areas in southern and eastern Taiwan were evacuated on Wednesday. Some roads in mountains and in coastal areas were closed for the sake of safety.
More than 100 accidents involving fallen trees, floods, and damaged roads were reported. In eastern Hualien County, an accident in a swollen river claimed a resident's life.
On Wednesday, more than 24,000 households across Taiwan were left without electricity due to damaged infrastructure.
