Philippines: Typhoon death toll tops 100, expected to rise
- 11 years ago
Government officials in Tacloban City in the Philippines have reported that at least 100 people are feared dead from Typhoon Haiyan. Aid agencies have warned that the impact of the storm could be colossal.
Haiyan first roared into the Philippines early on Friday, flooding streets and shutting down power and communications on several islands.
At that point, it was packing winds of up to 300 kilometres per hour, making it the strongest typhoon of the year and possibly the most powerful ever to make landfall.
Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. At a rescue centre in Iloilo, one woman said: “At least we’re far from the danger zone. We feel safe here even if it’s an evacuation centre. We’re okay.”
Haiyan has weakened on Friday, but meteorologists said it could strengthen again as it moves on towards Vietnam.
Haiyan first roared into the Philippines early on Friday, flooding streets and shutting down power and communications on several islands.
At that point, it was packing winds of up to 300 kilometres per hour, making it the strongest typhoon of the year and possibly the most powerful ever to make landfall.
Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. At a rescue centre in Iloilo, one woman said: “At least we’re far from the danger zone. We feel safe here even if it’s an evacuation centre. We’re okay.”
Haiyan has weakened on Friday, but meteorologists said it could strengthen again as it moves on towards Vietnam.