CNN Philippines reported that 25 people had been killed since the typhoon made landfall in the early hours of Saturday, quoting Political Affairs Secretary Francis Tolentino who described the deaths as "casualties."
The official death toll stands at two, according to the national disaster agency.
Typhoon Mangkhut, also known as Ompong, is now pummeling Hong Kong with strong winds and heavy rain, though the storm is still 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the coast.
Hong Kong's typhoon alert warning is at its highest level, and the city has all but shut down with transport suspended and residents warned to stay indoors.
Mangkhut slams into the Philippines
When Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippines Saturday morning at 1:40 a.m. local time, the storm was packing winds of up to 270 kph (165 mph), 120 kph (75 mph) stronger than Hurricane Florence that hit North Carolina.
While the death toll is likely to rise, there was some relief in the Philippines that Mangkhut doesn't appear to have been as fatal as other recent, less powerful storms.
More than 6,000 people died when Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines five years ago, the worst in a generation. That storm displaced nearly 4 million people. Many of the survivors ran short of food, water and medicine almost immediately.
"Honestly, we were expecting the worst from this," Edgar Posadas, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) told CNN of Mangkhut.
"I was praying and hoping and worried about having so much casualties. But I think after Yolanda, after Haiyan [the international name for Yolanda], there were a lot of lessons that were learned in terms of preparedness, early warnings, preemptive evacuations... and this went a long way."
The two people confirmed dead were rescue workers, said Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Both victims were women, killed when a rain-drenched hillside collapsed on them, according to the French news agency AFP.
As of Saturday, the storm had caused 51 landslides in the country's north.
Search crews are looking for people reported missing in the mountainous Cordillera region, Tolentino said.
Airport damaged
Earlier on Saturday, in the provincial capital Tuguegarao, strong winds lashed buildings, pulling off entire roofs and throwing large chunks of debris into the air.
Tuguegarao airport in northern Luzon, a vital transportation hub, was damaged in the storm, forcing the cancellation of more than 100 local and international flights, according to the Department of Transportation.
Authorities were assessing the damage and trying to repair communication systems, the Philippines News Agency reported.
Storm chaser James Reynolds said Sunday that the airport seemed to be being used as a military base to ferry supplies to affected regions.
The Philippines military had planned to send two C-130 airplanes and 10 helicopters to Cagayan province for typhoon relief and rescue efforts, according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana via Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Lorenzana said they'd fly north carrying aid and allowing rescuers to reach remote areas of the mountainous north as soon as the weather improved.
Heading to China
Mangkhut's eye is now over water in the South China Sea and making its way toward Hong Kong and southern China. The Hong Kong Observatory urged the public to stay on the alert and said the typhoon will be closest around noon Sunday.
Residents taped up windows and secured anything that could take flight in strong winds.
Strong winds and heavy rain hit Hong Kong during the early hours of Sunday, and conditions are expected to intensify as the day goes on. Current sustained winds are at 165 kph (102 mph) with wind gusts of up to 205 kph (127 mph), according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
Wind gusts of over 100 kph (62 mph) have already been recorded at a number of locations in the city, according to CNN's Weather Unit, which predicts wind speeds will increase in the coming hours.
Flights from Hong Kong International Airport were delayed or canceled Sunday, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers. Travelers were urged to check with their airlines.
Train, bus and ferry services to the airport were also suspended, though the airport remains open for passengers who have nowhere else to go.
Typhoon Mangkhut will make another landfall on Sunday night in the Chinese province of Guandong near the cities of Yangjiang and Zhanjiang.
From there the system will continue to move westward and will rain itself out over northern Vietnam, which could lead to some flooding there early next week.
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