Vietnam braces for typhoon as Philippine toll rises to 230 dead

In the Philippines, rescue workers were still struggling to reach some remote areas hit by floods and landslides that Tembin's downpours brought, as the death toll climbed to more than 230. Scores of people are missing.

The full extent of the devastation was only becoming clear as the most remote areas were being reached.

Health worker Arturo Simbajon said nearly the entire coastal village of Anungan on the Zamboanga peninsula of Mindanao island had been wiped out by a barrage of broken logs, boulders and mud that swept down a river and out to sea.

"Only the mosque was left standing," Simbajon said.

"People were watching the rising sea but did not expect the water to come from behind them."

Manuel Luis Ochotorena, head of regional disaster agency, said he expected the death toll to rise.

"Many areas in Zamboanga peninsula are still without power and communications, some towns are cut off due to collapsed bridges, floods and landslides," he said.

Tens of thousands of people on Mindanao have been displaced by the storm, which struck late on Friday.

In 2013, super typhoon Haiyan killed nearly 8,000 people and left 200,000 families homeless in the central Philippines.

Reuters