Biggest storm in history hits Philippines! 1, 200 dead, millions affected

One of the most powerful storms on record, Typhoon Haiyan, has killed 1,200 people and left many more injured. According to the Red Cross, 1,200 have been left dead - 1,000 of those in the city of Tacloban, on the island of Leyte. About four million people are believed to have been affected by the category five storm, according to the country's national disaster agency. This figure includes 800,000 people who had to be evacuated before the storm struck. And now 235mph Typhoon Haiyan is heading for mainland Asia. 

Winds of up to 235mph and gusts of 170mph left a trail of destruction - triggering major landslides, knocking out power and communications and causing catastrophic widespread damage. Hundreds of homes have been flattened and scores of streets flooded.

The category-5 super typhoon Haiyan – Chinese for ‘sea bird’ – smashed into the eastern islands of the Philippines with winds nearly 150mph stronger than the St Jude storm which struck the UK in late October. Roofs were ripped from houses, ferocious 20ft waves washed away coastal villages, power lines came down and trees were uprooted.

In Tacloban, a city of more than 200,000 believed to be one of the worst hit cities, corrugated iron sheets were ripped from roofs before crashing into buildings, according to video footage taken by a resident.

Relief workers today said they are having difficulties delivering food and other supplies, with roads blocked by landslides and fallen trees.

The Philippine government and some scientists have said climate change may be increasing the ferocity and frequency of storms. The Philippines suffered the world's strongest storm of 2012, when Typhoon Bopha left about 2,000 people dead or missing on the southern island of Mindanao.