The typhoon had been packing sustained winds of up to 185 kilometres per hour and gusts of more than 250 kilometres per hour.

More than 300,000 people had to spend Christmas in shelters after authorities moved them to higher ground.

But by early Monday it had slowed to a speed of under 20 kilometres per hour. Emergency crews had begun to clear the debris, power was being restored and transport services were resuming. (Euronews)