Hong Kong-bound Tropical Cyclone Yagi kills 2 in Philippines

Chest-deep floods were reported in some affected areas, including the capital Manila, forcing authorities to suspend school classes and government work.

Foreign Exchange trading will halt from noon, the bankers association said. Some local Philippine Airlines Inc. and Cebu Air Inc. flights were cancelled, according to airport authorities.

According to local officials, Monday’s deaths were of a 17-year-old girl and a 26-year-old woman who were buried in separate landslides in Cebu City, about 570km south of Manila. Ten people were also injured from the landslides.

Yagi, called Enteng in the Philippines, is packing maximum sustained winds of 75km (46.6 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 90km/hour, according to local weather bureau Pagasa. The storm may make landfall over Isabela or Cagayan province in northern Luzon this afternoon or tonight, it said.

Moving west, northwestward at 15km/hour, Yagi is expected to accelerate and exit the country by Wednesday evening or early morning on Thursday, Pagasa said.

“It may also reach a peak category of typhoon by Thursday or Friday,” it added.

Sea travel was suspended in eastern and central ports, leaving more than 2,200 passengers stranded, according to the coastguard.

The storm may move towards southern China, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

Flooding and landslides are expected, Pagasa said. Last week, the government also suspended classes and cancelled flights as heavy rains inundated Metro Manila and nearby areas.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg