MANILA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Manila's international airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, will be closed for 12 hours starting 11 a.m. on Tuesday due to the threat posed by powerful typhoon Kammuri that is expected to make a landfall on Monday night or early Tuesday morning, airport authorities said on Monday.
Ed Monreal, general manager of the Manila international airport authority, said that the airport will be closed from 11 a.m. on Tuesday until 11 p.m.
"This is technically force majeure, and for safety of the passengers," Monreal told a news conference. Monreal said a total of 438 flights are going to be affected by the closure.
Over 60,000 people in flood- and landslide-prone areas in the Bicol region have so far been moved to safer areas in anticipation of the typhoon which is expected to dump heavy rains to Metro Manila and many parts of the provinces in the Philippine main Luzon island, central Philippines and northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
As of 5 p.m. on Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said Kammuri is spotted 155 km east of Juban town in Sorsogon.
It slightly slowed down again, moving west at 15 km per hour (kph) from the previous 20 kph. The typhoon now has maximum winds of 155 kph and gustiness of up to 190 kph.
Typhoon Kammuri is the 20th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.
Landslides and flash floods are common across the Philippines during rainy season, especially when typhoon hits. On average, this archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons every year, some of which are intense and truly devastating.
