Typhoon Megi makes landfall in Philippines's northeast

Packing wind speeds of over 140 miles per hour (225 kms) near the center, super-typhoon Megi, known in the Philippines as Juan, made landfall in Sierra Madre in northeastern Luzon island before noon Monday (0400 GMT), announced the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration.

Earlier, the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center said the Megi sustained winds of about 270 kilometers per hour, making it a Category Five storm, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, capable of causing catastrophic damage, RTTNews says.

Thousands of people have sought shelter while authorities warned millions of residents and rice farmers along the typhoon's path to look out for damage to crops, homes and power lines. Flood-ravaged areas of China and Vietnam were also bracing for more rains from the powerful storm.

Megi was expected to move on later Monday toward southern China, which already has evacuated more than 100,000 people from villages because of earlier flooding, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Vietnam's central coast, where 21 people have died in floods, also prepared for another soaking, The Associated Press reports.