Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm of the year, has made landfall in the Philippines with winds of up to 235 km per hour.
The national weather service said the category five storm was centred 62km south-east of Guiuan, in Eastern Samar province.
Rescue services have reportedly lost contact with Guiuan, a town of 47,000. Schools and offices are closed in the region.
The BBC reports the storm is not expected to directly hit the capital Manila, further north.
Meteorologists say Haiyan is forecast to move over to the South China Sea north of Palawan Island on Saturday.
