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AFP - Getty Images
Workers clear a road with a fallen tree after Typhoon Bopha hit the city of Tagum, Davao del Norter province, on the southern island of Mindanao on Dec.4.
Super Typhoon Bopha, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, made landfall in the southern Philippines early Tuesday, The Weather Channel reported.
The storm is equivalent to a category-five hurricane, according to The Weather Channel report.
The storm came ashore in the southern province of Davao at dawn, uprooting trees and blowing off roofs, Australian broadcaster ABC reported.
Residents in flood-prone areas were moving into shelters, ABC reported.
On Monday, Philippine President Benigno Aquino warned the public to take storm warnings seriously. "The potential destruction of this typhoon is no joke," Aquino said in a national television and radio address.
Photoblog: Typhoon Bopha stirs awe from space
Disaster authorities suspended ferries, banned small fishermen from going to sea, closed schools and suspended small-scale mining operations.
Emergency shelters were set up and soldiers, police and emergency workers were evacuating entire coastal areas in some regions.
About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, often causing death and destruction.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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