Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing.

A tropical storm is intensifying and is expected to reach typhoon strength before hitting southern China's coast on Sunday.

As of July 20 morning, three people were reported dead in the Philippines, while three were injured and three others missing due to the effects of Wipha.

Three Filipinos were dead and over 300,000 individuals have been affected by Typhoon Wipha in recent days, Philippine authorities said Sunday,

Typhoon Wipha has toppled trees and caused major flight disruptions in Hong Kong and at some nearby airports in China as it moved west off the country’s southern coast.

Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region's Marikina River burst its banks.