Millions on alert as super typhoon hits Philippines

Millions of people in the Philippines were on high alert Wednesday as one of the strongest typhoons ever hit the disaster-battered country with authorities warning of giant storm surges and destructive winds. Super Typhoon Haima hit the northern province of Cagayan at about 11 pm (1500 GMT) Wednesday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains almost on a par with catastrophic Super Typhoon Haiyan which claimed more than 7,350 lives in 2013. "We only pray we be spared the destruction such as the previous times, which brought agony and suffering," President Rodrigo Duterte said in Beijing, where he is currently on a four-day visit.