Two killed, over 20,000 displaced in Philippines typhoon

Two people were killed, five injured and over 20,000 forced to leave their homes as typhoon Koppu battered the Philippines, authorities said on Monday.

It made landfall in Luzon island in the early hours of Sunday morning at super typhoon strength, ripping the roofs off buildings and uprooting trees in the coastal province of Aurora.

The entire town of San Antonio in central Luzon has been engulfed by flood waters, Mayor Antonino Lustre said on Monday. Rescuers were unable to reach some areas of the inundated town where residents were stranded on roofs, CNN reported.

One of the victims, a 14-year-old boy struck by a falling tree, was in the Manila suburb of Quezon city. The other person killed was a 62-year-old woman hit by a wall that collapsed in Subic, which lies northwest of the capital.

Roads and communications have been cut off by flooding and landslides in three towns in Aurora province, including Casiguran, where the typhoon made landfall, authorities said.

"Based on the report of the Philippine army, there were many houses destroyed and trees uprooted in the three towns," the Philippines News Agency said.

The army and other agencies were trying to clear the routes to Casiguran, which has about 25,000 inhabitants, and to Dinalungan and Dilasag towns, the agency reported.

The heavily populated region around capital Manila is not in Koppu's direct path, but it is still getting lashed by winds and rain.

The heavy rain and strong winds will continue until Tuesday.

The deadliest storm to hit the country in recent years was super typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,000 people dead or missing in November 2013.