Thousands of people have been evacuated from northern Philippine villages and schools and offices are closed in the archipelago and neighbouring Taiwan as one of this year's strongest typhoons threatens to cause flooding and landslides on its way to south-eastern China .

Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215km/h with gusts of up to 295km/h when it slammed into Panuitan island off Cagayan province on mid-afternoon Monday, Philippine forecasters said.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185km/h or higher are categorised in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to such extreme weather disturbances.

Ragasa was heading west and forecast to remain in the South China Sea at least into tomorrow while

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