Manila, Rabi'I 3, 1437, Dec 14, 2015, SPA -- Towns in the eastern Philippines were left without power on Monday as a powerful typhoon toppled electricity poles and dumped heavy rains that forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homes, officials said. Thousands of passengers have been stranded in different ports and airports as officials stopped ships from sailing and planes from flying amid the onslaught of Typhoon Melor, dpa reported. Communication lines have also been intermittent as Melor, with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 185 kph, slammed the east coast. A regional civil defense official said 724,105 people were forced to flee their homes in the western provinces of Albay and Sorsogon, amid warnings of storm surges and flash floods. --SPA 18:54 LOCAL TIME 15:54 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w