Tropical storm in Philippines; 6 people dead

Tropical Storm Bilis, packing winds of up to 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of 95 kph, also forced schools to suspend classes in Manila, sent government workers home early and canceled some flights amid heavy rains and sporadic floods, according to the AP.

Photo: Tropical storm in Philippines; 6 people dead

Authorities raised the storm alert signal to No. 3 for a cluster of islands in the far north of the archipelago which Bilis is expected to pass before making landfall on the northern tip of Taiwan later Thursday.

A No. 3 storm, on a scale up to four, is expected to bring winds of up 185 kph (115 mph).

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau meanwhile issued land and sea warnings, saying Bilis could make landfall Thursday or Friday.

Forecasters predicted Bilis will hit Taiwan as a Category 1 typhoon, the weakest type.

In Baguio, 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Manila, a 7-year-old girl died in a raging flood, and one of several landslides overnight buried a 4-year-old boy in his home, said Mayor Braulio Yaranon.