INTERNATIONAL: Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas of the central and southern Philippines ahead of a strong typhoon, a tropical cyclone that is expected to make landfall on Thursday afternoon. It has made its first landfall over Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte at around 1:30 p.m. today, 12:30 Cambodia time.

Typhoon Rai, local name Odette which has been upgraded to a category 4 storm, the second-highest classification, has wind speeds of 165 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 205 kph, the Philippines' weather bureau has said.

Residents from Cagayan De Oro City in the southern Philippines were evacuated by the Philippine Coast Guard after incessant rains brought by Rai flooded the communities. On Mocaboc island in Bohol province, residents were evacuated early in preparation of the typhoon's possible landfall later in the day.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, sees around 20 tropical storms annually which can cause floods and landslides. The archipelago is also located in the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire” region, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.