MANILA: Five people died in the northern Philippines during the onslaught of Typhoon Krathon, locally known as Julian, the country's disaster agency said on Friday (Oct 4).

A powerful typhoon is lashing the northernmost islands of the Philippines, where officials are warning of “potentially very destructive” damage to coastal villages.

The storm is expected to bring torrential rain this week to Taiwan’s southwest, including Kaohsiung, the island’s third-largest city.

Typhoon Krathon, known as Julian in the Philippines, intensified into a super typhoon on Tuesday morning, October 1, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Tropical storm Krathon is headed for the Philippines as authorities place northern parts of the main Luzon island on alert, saying there’s a high chance of rapid intensification and the possibility it could become a super typhoon.

Philippine authorities said on October 4 that the death toll in Typhoon Krathon that hit the country last weekend rose to at least five, with one person still missing.

At least three people have died from extreme weather caused by Typhoon Krathon. Taiwan saw its first death related to the typhoon on Wednesday when an elderly man in Hualien fell from a tree, the fire department said. Earlier two people died as Krathon brought extreme rainfall to the northern Philippines. Dozens of people have also been injured.

Taiwan has put its military units on standby and closed schools and offices across several counties on Tuesday, as the island braces for a powerful typhoon set to make landfall in the next couple days,