Typhoon Koppu: Two dead as thousands forced to flee their homes in northern Philippines

Army, police and civilian volunteers scrambled to rescue hundreds of trapped villagers

Thousands have been evacuated and two people have been killed as Typhoon Koppu blew into the northern Philippines.

More than 16,000 villagers were forced from their homes as the typhoon hit shore in the northeastern province of Aurora, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain on Sunday.

There were reports of trees and electrical posts knocked down in the wind, leaving nine provinces without electricity.

A teenager was killed after being pinned down by a falling tree, which also injured four people and damaged three houses in the capital city of Manila.

And army, police and civilian volunteers scrambled to rescue hundreds of villagers trapped in their flooded homes or on rooftops in Aurora.

Small fishing boats are placed by the seawall as strong winds and slight rain brought by Typhoon Koppu hit Manila, Philippines (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

In Subic town, northwest of Manila, a concrete wall collapsed and killed a 62-year-old woman and injured her husband.

Koppu, Japanese for "cup," is the 12th storm to hit the Philippines this year.

An average of 20 storms and typhoons batter the archipelago each year, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most ferocious storms on record to hit land, barreled through the central Philippines, levelling entire towns and leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing.