Manila - Thousands of people were stranded Wednesday in flash floods in the Philippine capital amid heavy rains driven by Typhoon Sinlaku.

Afternoon classes were suspended in several areas of metropolitan Manila as flood water rose to waist-high in some streets.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said it had not yet received any reports of casualties.

The weather bureau said it was expecting more rains in the capital and northern provinces as the storm moves away from the Philippines.

"Typhoon Sinlaku will continue to enhance the south-west monsoon and bring rains over Luzon and Visayas, particularly the western sections, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," it said.

Sinlaku was situated 220 kilometres off the northernmost Philippine town of Basco in Batanes province, 510 kilometres north of Manila, on Wednesday.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 185 kilometres per hour. The typhoon was moving toward Taiwan and Japan. (dpa)