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Thousands are believed to have died after Typhoon Haiyan battered large parts of the Philippines.

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Haiyan moved towards Vietnam after battering the Philippines on Friday.
Published On 10 Nov 2013

A huge rescue operation has begun after the strongest storm to hit land since records began smashed into the Philippines.

Thousands of people are believed to have died. Houses have been flattened and communications to many areas cut off, making it difficult to estimate the devastation.

The death toll was expected to reach more than 10,000 in Leyte province alone.
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The typhoon was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.
Residents complained of shortages of food, water and no electricity.
The storm destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of the area in its path as it tore through the central province of Leyte.
Meteorologists said the impact may not have been as strong as feared because the storm was moving so quickly, reducing the risk of flooding and landslides from torrential rain, the biggest causes of typhoon casualties in the Philippines.
About a million people took shelter in 37 provinces after President Benigno Aquino appealed to those in the typhoon(***)s path to leave vulnerable areas.
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Rescue worker struggle to reach ravaged villages along the coast, where the death toll is as yet unknown.
Relief agencies call for food, water and tarpaulins for the homeless.
The death toll and material damage estimates are expected to rise sharply as rescue workers and soldiers reach areas cut off by the massive storm.