MANILA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed as Typhoon Nuri slammed into the Philippines' northeast province of Cagayan early Wednesday morning, bringing heavy winds and rains to most parts of the island of Luzon, disaster-relief officials said.

    Among the five fatalities, three were children aged one, three and ten, respectively. They died when their houses in the Benguet province got buried in a mudslide, said the Philippine Office of Civil Defense.

    Also killed due to landslides were Petra Dadatar, 72, from Baguio City, and Hilario Badungan, 77, from La Union province.

    About 1,344 families or 4,195 people had been affected by the typhoon in Ilocos region alone, according to the disaster-relief agency's report.

    Classes of all schools in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila have been suspended as the country's bureau agency warned of the possibility of tornadoes. There was some minor flooding in the capital on Wednesday.

    In its latest bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the typhoon moved West Northwest at 20 kilometers per hour (kph), with maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph.

    "These winds are very dangerous. This could generate a tornado," PAGASA Director Prisco Nilo said on a local radio.

    Meanwhile, the Philippine National Disaster Coordinating Council has also ordered the suspension of classes for Wednesday in northern provinces of La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan, Pampanga, and Bulacan.

    Nuri is expected to arrive in China's southern province of Guangdong on Friday morning, according to the bulletin.

    Located in the western Pacific Ocean, the Philippine archipelago is a frequent victim of storms generated over the Pacific. Forecasters said the Philippines will be battered by more than tropical cyclones till December this year, some of them devastating.

    In June, a passenger ship with 862 people on board was overturn in the central Philippines at the height of Typhoon Fengshen and only 56 survivors were confirmed by authorities.