At least three people have been killed and thousands have been evacuated from villages and schools in Northern Philippines, while offices were closed, as one of this year’s strongest typhoons threatened to cause flooding and landslides on its way to southeastern China.

Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour (134 miles per hour), with gusts of up to 295km/h (183mph), when it slammed into Panuitan Island off Cagayan province in the mid-afternoon on Monday, Philippine forecasters said.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185km/h (115mph) 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.

As of 8:00 pm (12:00 GMT), the storm was generating ma

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