UN makes plea for help after typhoon slams into Philippines

Residents arrive at a school used as a temporary evacuation centre (Noel Celis/AP)

The fifth major storm in three weeks has slammed into the north-eastern Philippines, prompting more evacuations and a United Nations call for emergency funds to help the government address the plight of rural villagers.

Typhoon Usagi had sustained winds of up to 109mph and gusts of up to 149mph when it roared into the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province at the northern tip of Luzon, the country’s most populous agricultural region.