Typhoon Ragasa forces Philippines, Taiwan to suspend schools, Hong Kong to consider halting flights

The Philippines and Taiwan have suspended classes and work in government offices in some provinces on Monday, while Hong Kong's airport is considering halting operations for 36 hours as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches.

In the Philippines' capital Manila and many provinces, schools at all levels and non-essential government work were suspended. Several flights were also canceled due to strong winds and rain, according to the local daily Inquirer.

The typhoon is projected to pass close to or make landfall on Babuyan Island.

Around 10,061 individuals were “preemptively evacuated’’ in the high-risk areas of Northern and Central Luzon, according to the Manila Bulletin.

It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Tuesday.

In Taiwan, the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration cancelled work and classes in the Pingtung, Hualien, and Taitung counties.

All flights to outlying islands after noon were cancelled and 88 ferry services on 13 routes were suspended in Taiwan, according to Focus Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Airport Authority is considering the option of shutting down the terminal from 6 pm on Tuesday (1000GMT) until 6 am on Thursday (2200GMT Wednesday) due to "serious threats" from Ragasa, which is forecast to bring hurricane-force winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (137 miles per hour) in the coming days, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

In China, the disaster prevention and mitigation department of Shenzhen's Emergency Management Bureau Sunday said that the city was preparing to evacuate 400,000 people residing in flood-prone areas.