MANILA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) ¨C Super typhoon Mitag, locally called Mina, has changed direction and is heading toward Aurora and Isabela provinces in northern Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Saturday.
In its early morning bulletin, PAGASA said Mitag is packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of 210 kph.
The center of slowly moving typhoon was spotted 200 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes or 460 kilometers southeast of Casiguran, Aurora as of 04:00 local time (2000 GMT Friday). It is expected to arrive in Aurora Monday.
The force of the typhoon was felt in the central Bicol region and eastern parts of Luzon Friday night, said PAGASA.
PAGASA warned earlier that Mitag could arrive in central Luzon and Metro Manila, triggering an alarm in the capital region.
Storm signals remained Saturday over eastern provinces of Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Polillo Island, the central provinces of Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Albay, Burias Island, Quezon,Quirino, Northern Samar and the northern provinces of Aurora and Isabela.
The Philippines was hit by a series of strong typhoons in the last quarter in 2006, in which hundreds of people were killed and the capital Metro Manila was severely struck.
