The death toll from heavy rains, landslides and flooding in the Philippines has risen to 12 as rescue workers dig up bodies of people who were buried there.

Gaemi, known in the Philippines as Carina, failed to make landfall in the archipelago but intensified seasonal monsoon rains. The rains triggered at least a dozen landslides and flooding in five days, killing at least eight people and displacing 600,000, including 35,000 who went to emergency shelters, the Philippines’ disaster risk reduction agency said.

A landslide buried a rural hut in Agoncillo town in Batangas province on Tuesday. The bodies of a pregnant woman and three children, aged 9 to 15, were exhumed this morning.

Rainfall overnight caused flooding of roads and suspended government work and school classes in the densely populated region around the Philippine capital.

People were seen wading through knee- and waist-deep water. Some used makeshift rubber boats and paddled past cars, trucks and SUVs.

Typhoon Gaemi is expected to strengthen further as it moves northward toward Taiwan, where it will make landfall later today.

The storm’s wind speed near the center is already around 227 km/h (141 mph), which is equivalent to major typhoon status.

According to the Philippines’ national weatherman, Gaemi could strengthen further and become a super typhoon in the next 8-9 hours before making landfall in Taiwan.

A super typhoon is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of over 150 mph (240 km/h) at the surface, comparable to a strong Category 4 or 5 hurricane.

Gaemi, which is barreling toward Taiwan in the Philippine Sea, had sustained winds of 241 kilometers per hour, or 150 miles per hour. If the hurricane were in the Atlantic Ocean, it would be a Category 4 hurricane.

At least eight people have died and more than 600,000 have been displaced by floods and landslides in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Gaemi, locally known as Carina.

The storm did not move inland, but heavy rainfall over the past five days has caused at least a dozen landslides and flooding.

In the densely populated region around the Philippine capital Manila, government work and school classes were suspended today after overnight rains flooded many areas, leaving cars stuck in rising water and people trapped in their homes.

Taiwan is bracing for Typhoon Gaemi today. Financial markets are closed, flights are canceled and offices are closed all day.

Gaemi, the first typhoon of the season, is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s northeastern coast early Wednesday evening and move toward China’s Fujian province on Friday.

Schools and workplaces across Taiwan were closed and the normally bustling streets of Taipei were empty.

“Please stay home tomorrow,” Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an wrote on his Facebook page yesterday. “Gaemi, the first typhoon to make landfall this year, continues to strengthen.”

Welcome to The independent‘s live report of Typhoon Gaemi as it barrels toward Taiwan. Stay tuned for the latest updates!