A haunting photograph reveals the shattered city of Tacloban in the Philippines hours after it was pulverised by Typhoon Haiyan.
At least 10,000 people are thought to have died in this one town alone as it was struck by winds of up to 235mph and huge storm surge waves.
“The dead are on the streets, they are in their houses, they are under the debris, they are everywhere,” said one official.
The total toll from Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons recorded, is still unknown as it has shattered communications across the East Asian nation.
Almost five million people have been displaced with up to 80% of homes destroyed in Tacloban and its surrounding areas on the island of Leyte, which took the brunt of the storm.
Nancy Chang, on a business trip to Tacloban from China, walked three hours through mud and debris to be airlifted to safety.
She said: “It’s like the end of the world.”
Medical student Jenny Chu added: “People are walking like zombies looking for food. It’s like a horror movie.”
One young woman was pictured staggering among the wreckage after she lost 11 members of her family including her baby daughter.
Most of the dead drowned or were crushed by buildings. Corpses hung on trees and walls while ships at anchor were tossed ashore like toys.
Teacher Andrew Pomeda said: “Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families. People are becoming violent. They are looting to find food, rice and milk.
“I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger.”
City worker John Lim said looters were “taking everything” and trading stolen appliances for food.
Yesterday President Benigno Aquino sent soldiers to restore order and was considering declaring martial law. Thousands of troops have been sent in to disaster zones and cargo planes are flying in supplies.
But rescue efforts have been hampered by blocked roads and lines of the homeless trying to reach higher ground.
Leyte took the biggest battering but 300 are dead with 2,000 missing on neighbouring Samar. Officials are yet to make contact with Guiuan, a town of 40,000.
Other deadly typhoons include the 1937 Hong Kong Typhoon which killed11,000.
Typhoon Vera killed 5,238 in 1959 in Japan and Typhoon Nina claimed 229,000 lives in China in 1975 after it caused a dam to collapse.
Late last night Haiyan, which is now losing strength, was bearing down on Vietnam where almost one million people have already fled threatened areas.
