Philippines typhoon kills more than 200

The death toll from the Philippines’ strongest typhoon of 2012 has risen to at least 230. Officials fear hundreds more bodies will be found as the army and rescuers reach the worst hit villages. One of the areas most devastated by Typhoon Bopha was the Compostela Valley. Up to 80 percent of the plantations here have been destroyed, at an estimated cost of 75 million euros. Raging waters from the mountains swept through school buildings, courts, town halls and health centres where residents had taken shelter. “My father is in the hospital,” said one survivor “My mother and older brother were swept away by flood waters. The last time I saw them, my Mama said ‘I love you.’” Thousands of bloodied survivors, caked in mud, piled into temporary shelter areas, as local officials appealed for aid. Schools remained closed on Wednesday and dozens of domestic flights were suspended. Scenes like this are all too common in the Philippines, Typhoon Washi which hit in December last year killed around 1,500 people.