Publication Date November 11, 2013 | Washington Post

Philippines fears soaring death toll after Typhoon Haiyan

Philippines
Filipinos walk past ships washed ashore in the devastated city of Tacloban. Photo: Francis R. Malasig, European Pressphoto Agency
Filipinos walk past ships washed ashore in the devastated city of Tacloban. Photo: Francis R. Malasig, European Pressphoto Agency

The typhoon cut a path through the middle of this island country — a direct hit on about 10 percent of the population. Up to 10,000 are feared dead in Tacloban city alone, according to unconfirmed accounts, and thousands across the region are missing...

On its rampage across the region, Haiyan had much the look of a tsunami, with waves as high as two-story buildings...

Typhoon Haiyan threatened to become the deadliest disaster in Philippine history, surpassing Tropical Storm Thelma, which killed 5,000 people in 1991...

"Tacloban is totally destroyed,” schoolteacher Andrew Pomeda told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families. People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food. I’m afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger.”