Typhoon Noru hits the Philippines leaving homes flooded

A powerful typhoon has hit the Philippines forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.

Millions were left without electricity and homes and farms were flooded after the strong winds and heavy rain battered the country.

Five rescue workers were died because of the category 3 storm.

The typhoon caused gusts of up to 240kph (149mph) on the main island of Luzon, where more than half of the country's 110 million population live.

The Philippines, a group of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, is highly vulnerable to storms.

It sees an annual average of 20 tropical storms including Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded.

Officials had earlier issued warnings of "serious flooding" in areas of the capital, Manila.

More than 74,000 people were evacuated from their homes to avoid the impact.

"I think we may have gotten lucky, at least this time," said Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos during a briefing on Monday. "I think it's clear from what we did these last two days is that, very, very important, is preparation," he added.

"It's not yet over. I think the point when we can stand down is when the majority of evacuees are already back in their homes," he said.

Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos has now ordered that supplies be airlifted and clean-up equipment provided to communities that have been most affected.

Thousands of volunteers are monitoring river levels, bridges and mountains for landslides which could get in the way of rescue efforts, said Dick Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.