Rescuers pull a rubber boat carrying residents through a flooded street after Typhoon Vamco hit in Marikina City, suburban Manila on Thursday. Photo: AFP

The third typhoon to hit the storm-battered Philippines in as many weeks caused major flooding in Manila on Thursday, trapping people on rooftops and claiming at least one life in another part of the country.

Typhoon Vamco packed winds of up to 155 kilometers per hour as it swept across the country's largest island of Luzon after making landfall overnight.

Authorities warned of landslides and potentially deadly storm surges along the coast.

Heavy rain effectively shut down Manila, the sprawling capital of 12 million people, and surrounding areas.

"A lot of places are submerged. Many people are crying for help," said Rouel Santos, 53, a retired disaster officer in Rizal Province, next to the capital.

Santos said the flooding caused by Vamco brought back memories of the devastating Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, that hit in 2009 and claimed hundreds of lives.

An official from the country's Office of Civil Defense said rainfall dumped by Vamco so far was "near the volume" during Ondoy, warning flooding could worsen as runoff from nearby mountains flowed into already swollen waterways.

Philippine Red Cross personnel used boats to rescue people stranded in their homes in Marikina City, one of the hardest-hit areas of the capital, where the water in some streets was up to shoulder height.

Photos shared on Twitter by Red Cross chief Richard Gordon showed people being lowered through a hole in a roof while others were helped to climb over a balcony railing into a boat.

"The magnitude of what we're experiencing now is comparable to Ondoy," Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro told CNN Philippines.

"We have so many people who until now are stranded on their rooftops or trapped on the second floor of their houses. Some areas that were historically not flooded, such as the City Hall, are submerged."

At least one person died and three others were missing in Camarines Norte Province, Civil Defense said late Wednesday.

Requests for help were "pouring in," said Casiano Monilla, Civil Defense deputy administrator for operations.

He said many people had not heeded warnings to ­evacuate ahead of the typhoon, urging them to do so "while there's still time."

Schools, which have been empty since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March, are being used as emergency shelters along with gymnasiums.