Philippine storm victims feared tsunami, ran toward mudslide
The Philippine capital, Manila, was overwhelmed by a monster typhoon that killed thousands — and some people died during an attempted evacuation.
Hundreds of thousands fled from the storm, which pounded Manila with 100mph winds from Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines in more than a decade.
At least 2,000 died as the super typhoon tore through central and southern Luzon province, and the death toll is expected to exceed 3,000, with many more missing.
The torrent of torrential rain triggered a mudslide, killing at least 17 people as it buried the nation’s capital in a pile of mud and debris.
Families frantically ran for safety from a city they had known for generations and found themselves trapped in buildings along Manila’s main thoroughfare.
It was the worst death toll to be reported from a storm of this magnitude anywhere on Earth.
Haiyan caused widespread power outages and shuttered factories. Its winds tore through the capital, leaving people huddled in air-conditioned rooms, in the rain.
“This was my childhood home,” a middle-aged woman named Carmen said as she took refuge in the basement of a building with her family, waiting out the storm.
People in their 20s and 30s stood by a shattered, roofless building, clinging to slabs of concrete to try to protect themselves and their families from the storm. They carried out bodies, their clothes soaked from the rain.
“I went to rescue my grandmother… I saw a guy who got electrocuted. I took him inside,” said Lidia Barajas, who said that she would not be alive if her younger brother had not carried her through the storm.
The family later went on welfare. With the death toll expected at least 2,000, the number of casualties will be known later.
Haiyan also flooded areas around a huge fish market, where thousands of workers were gathered hoping to escape the storm and avoid further damage.
All of the buildings were damaged by the typhoon, and the storm surge flooded nearby streets.
A worker at the fish market
