Typhoon Nanmadol kills at least seven in the Philippines

At least seven people were killed when Typhoon Nanmadol struck the northern Philippines, before the storm moved on toward Taiwan.

Among those killed were two small children buried in a landslide in the northern mountain city of Baguio.

According to CNN, the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council released a statement saying that the children and five other people were killed in separate incidents,10 people were injured and six remain missing. More than 57,000 people were forced to leave their homes.

A civil defense official told the BBC that winds and rain had caused flooding and landslides, and that 20 major roads were blocked and several bridges were collapsing.

Another official, Emilia Tadeo, told AFP that Nanmadol was the strongest storm to hit the country this year. Tadeo predicted that the casualty numbers will rise.

"After the rains have subsided, that is only when we find the additional casualties and damages, when the local responders submit them to us," he said.

According to AFP, an average of 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines annually. This past July, storms left at least 70 people dead.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau expects Nanmadol to make landfall on Monday morning, the BBC reports, and the country has evacuated several thousand people from its eastern and southern regions.

"When it does [make landfall], the main problems will be caused by the excessive rains, rather than the strength of the wind," Steff Gaulter, Al Jazeera's senior meteorologist, said. "After the recent torrential rains on the island, the ground is saturated and this, combined with the mountainous terrain, could easily trigger deadly mudslides."

Gaulter also cautioned that the storm has proven unpredictable, and that it could change direction and intensity without warning.