Typhoon claims 1,200 lives, devastates central Philippines
Manila: Over 1,200 people were killed when a super typhoon, one of the most fearsome ever recorded in history, ripped across central Philippines on Friday morning. Eight lakh people had been evacuated from the path of the storm before landfall. Lashing the islands east-west,
the ravaging Haiyan kept a wind gust of 315 kmph throughout Friday over the archipelago. In Leyte, the worst hit eastern province, all the houses have been destroyed by three metres high storm surges and the battering storms. All ground is littered by debris of razed buildings and uprooted trees. People who managed to take a look said, Tacloban, the capital of Leyte, has morphed into a ghost city. According to the Red Cross, 15,000 soldiers have been rushed to
the devastated areas for rescue operations. All roads were blocked by fallen trees. Visibility was poor and there were flying debris ripped off from the roofs of buildings. About 10 m people of central Philippines were under threat of the typhoon. The super storm was exiting the Philippines by Friday night into South China Sea and menacingly approaching Vietnam where high alert has been sounded and about two lakh people have moved to shelters. Haiyan will hit the shores by early Sunday. Two of Philippines major islands were devastated by a massive earthquake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale last month, killing 150 people.
