Manila - Two people were killed and thousands were evacuated Saturday as a powerful typhoon lashed on a large area of the Philippines, a government agency said.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the two fatalities were buried in a landslide at a dumpsite in the southern city of Cotabato, 930 kilometres south of Manila, after overnight rains induced by typhoon Fengshen.

The NDCC said Fengshen triggered heavy rains in eastern, central and southern provinces that caused landslides and mudslides as well as flashfloods.

Thousands of residents in low-lying areas have been evacuated as floodwaters submerged large areas in the central cities of Iloilo and Bacolod and the southern provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.

Fengshen, with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 170 per hour, was spotted off the coast of Kalibo in the central province of Aklan, 360 kilometres south of Manila.

Several domestic flights were cancelled and inter-island ferry services were suspended, stranding thousands of passengers.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo met on Saturday with cabinet officials to ensure the smooth flow of relief operations in typhoon-affected areas. (dpa)