Haiyan: 10000 dead so far

With the death toll from super typhoon Haiyan now estimated to be well over 10000, the Philippines government and international aid agencies are desperately struggling to get help to increasingly angry victims of what might have been the strongest storm ever to make landfall.

Philippines President Benigno Aquino walked out of a meeting with local government officials in Tacloban City, where 10000 people are feared to have perished, after furious survivors berated him for what they said was the government's slow response to the disaster.

Almost every building in Tacloban was flattened on Friday, as raging, tsunami-like floods sent waves as high as 7m crashing through the streets.

Wind speeds in the city came close to 320km/h. One resident described Haiyan's impact as being "like a tornado that lasted for four hours".

Local police chief Elmer Soria said the death toll in the city of 220000 people is at least 10000.

"We had a meeting last night with the governor and other officials," he said. "The governor said the estimate is that 10000 people died. The devastation is so big."

There is now a rising threat of serious disorder in Tacloban, with widespread looting of shops by homeless and shocked survivors left without food and water.

"Security is becoming a real problem.

"People are starting to get very angry and impatient at the lack of help. They are raiding the shops for food. So dire is the shortage of medical supplies that only one hospital in Tacloban is still open and it can offer only basic first-aid.

"Many of the hospitals have had to close. They are sending people away saying they cannot help them because they have no medicine," said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippines Red Cross.

Though Tacloban, 610km south of Manila, is the worst-hit area so far reached by aid workers, the situation is believed to be even more serious in surrounding Leyte province, where tens of thousands of people have been cut off from the outside world since the typhoon.

Though Tacloban's airport has been re-opened for military flights carrying aid, and Aquino was able to fly in for a brief visit to assess the damage, blocked roads mean it is impossible to reach more remote coastal areas.

"There is very heavy damage along the coast," said Orla Fagan, of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in Manila.

"Distribution of aid is the real challenge. Planes are landing in Tacloban but getting it [aid] out of Tacloban is the problem."

Fears are mounting that the death toll in Samar province, where Haiyan first smashed into the Philippines on Friday, might match that of Tacloban.

Survivors walk past a ship that lies on top of damaged homes after it was washed ashore in Tacloban city.

The region remains without power or communications.

"We are really worried, given the level of reported casualties in Tacloban," said Marie Madamba-Nunez, Oxfam's spokeswoman in Manila.

"It has been two days since the storm hit and we have heard nothing from most of Samar province."

About 4.3million people in 36 provinces were affected by Haiyan, which is now, weakened, heading for Vietnam and southern China.

It was expected to make landfall again this morning.