Super Typhoon Mangkhut buffets the Philippines

Super Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippines early Saturday, slamming the island nation with the strongest storm conditions on the globe this year. Mangkhut had winds up to 200 mph at its peak, slowing to 165 mph after reaching the shore. For comparison, Hurricane Florence has winds of about 90 mph as of Saturday.

By Saturday evening local time, the center of the storm had moved past the Philippines — though the archipelago is still receiving heavy rains — and into the South China Sea toward Hong Kong. No casualties have been reported so far, but rescue efforts will be limited until the weather clears.

"If [the storm] flattens everything, maybe we need to have some help," said Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte of the possibility of requesting foreign aid to deal with Mangkhut's aftermath.

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