SEAG under fire

The Philippines began evacuating thousands of people, local officials said, as a powerful typhoon rumbled in off the Pacific, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and threatening Southeast Asian (SEA) Games venues.

Forecasters expect typhoon “Kammuri” to hit Monday evening or Tuesday morning, packing gusts of 170 kilometers per hour (kph) and maximum sustained winds of 140 kph.

The storm entered Philippine territory Saturday evening, shortly before President Rodrigo Duterte and boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao launched the Games with a colorful opening ceremony.

This year's Games in Clark, Manila and Subic, which run through to 11 December, are particularly complex with a record 56 sports across dozens of venues that are in some cases hours apart by car, even before Manila's notorious gridlock traffic is factored in.

Organizers said there are contingency plans in place for a typhoon, including possible cancellations of outdoor events of the Games, which are mostly in the main Philippine island of Luzon in the country's north.

Some local government units in central Bicol region have started evacuating people. More than 800 families are already in evacuation centers, mostly in schools and gymnasiums in Camarines Norte, the disaster management office of the province said.

Local officials were still evacuating some areas so the number was expected to rise, the office added.

Most of those evacuated live in coastal areas and low-lying places where flash floods and landslides are possible due to heavy rains that will be brought by the typhoon.