PHILIPPINES:Typhoon Durian may have killed up to 400 people in the central Philippines after heavy rains and winds sent tonnes of mud and boulders the size of cars crashing on to villages, the head of the local Red Cross said yesterday.
Durian, which packed winds of up to 225km/h (140mph), moved into the South China Sea after lashing the Philippines from early on Thursday and is expected to weaken into a tropical storm before hitting Vietnam on Monday.
Communities close to Mount Mayon, an active volcano about 320km (200 miles) south of Manila, were buried after Durian dislodged mounds of debris from its slopes. "There are a lot of conflicting reports but, looking at the trend, we could have about 300 to 400 people dead by tonight," said Richard Gordon, a senator and head of the Philippine Red Cross.
A statement from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said initial statistics indicated some 25,000 people had been affected.
Thousands were left homeless and infrastructure damaged, including power lines and phone links knocked out, bridges washed away and roads buried by landslides. "It's a wasteland," said Noel Rosal, a mayor in the central region of Bicol.
Named after a pungent and spiky Asian fruit, the typhoon was the fourth to hit the Philippines in three months. Forecasters expect one more before the end of the year.
In September, 213 people were killed when typhoon Xangsane battered the north and centre of the country, leaving millions without electricity or running water for days. Xangsane also killed dozens in Vietnam.
Yesterday, in a village close to Mayon, soldiers used their bare hands to dig bodies out of the sludge. A pregnant woman was pulled out alive and airlifted to hospital. Disaster agencies called for fresh water, medicine and body bags. Thousands of evacuees crammed into schools and churches, while some residents were marooned on roofs.