“An enormous four-metre storm surge swept into the coast, crushed all of these buildings”， reports Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.
The authorities in the Philippines are struggling to bring relief to some of the areas worst affected by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the country.
Up to 10,000 are said to have died in Tacloban city and hundreds elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands are displaced.
The typhoon flattened homes, schools and an airport in Tacloban.
Relief workers are yet to reach some towns and villages cut off since the storm.
In many areas there is no clean water, no electricity and very little food.
Thousands of troops have been deployed to the disaster zones and military cargo planes are flying in supplies. However, rescuers are hampered by debris and damaged roads.
Pope Francis pleaded for aid for the victims in the mostly Catholic country, saying: "Sadly, there are many, many victims and the damage is huge. Let's try to provide concrete help."
US President Barack Obama issued a message saying he was "deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage" and praising the "incredible resiliency of the Philippine people".
Typhoon Haiyan has now made landfall in Vietnam, near the tourist destination of Ha Long Bay, but as a much reduced Category One, with sustained winds of up to 140 km/h (85mph).
Some 600,000 people were evacuated in northern provinces.
'Not enough manpower'
The relief efforts in the Philippines are being focused on the eastern province of Leyte and its capital Tacloban.
But officials in the city said they were struggling to distribute aid, looting was widespread and order was proving difficult to enforce.
In some areas, the dead are being buried in mass graves.
Houses have been flattened by the massive storm surge that accompanied Typhoon Haiyan.
"There is looting in the malls and large supermarkets. They are taking everything, even appliances like TV sets. These will be traded later on for food," said Tacloban city administrator Tecson John Lim.
"We don't have enough manpower. We have 2,000 employees but only about 100 are reporting for work. Everyone is attending to their families."
President Benigno Aquino, who has visited Tacloban, pledged to send 300 police and soldiers to "bring back peace and order".
But local residents fear for their safety.
"Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families," high school teacher Andrew Pomeda told AFP news agency.
"People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk... I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger."
The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports that the scene in Tacloban is one of utter devastation.
He says hundreds of people are at the airport, itself badly damaged, trying to get on a flight out of the city.
Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said the scale of the relief operation that was now required was overwhelming, with some places described as a wasteland of mud and debris.
"From a helicopter, you can see the extent of devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometre inland, there are no structures standing. It was like a tsunami," he told Reuters.
A UN official who arrived in Tacloban on Saturday, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, said he was told there had been a 3m (10ft) water surge through the city, in places up to 10m.
Meanwhile Leo Dacaynos, an official in Eastern Samar province, told local radio 300 people had been found dead in a single town, Basey, with another 2,000 missing and many injured.
Communication is still limited in many areas.
In Guiuan, a town of 40,000 people near where the typhoon made landfall, television footage showed flattened houses and roads strewn with debris.
One woman told the ABS-CBN channel: "I have no house, I have no clothes. I don't know how I will restart my life... I don't know what happened to us. We are appealing for help. Whoever has a good heart, I appeal to you - please help Guiuan."
The town of Baco, in Oriental Mindoro province, to the north-west, is said to be 80% under water.
The latest report from the Philippines' Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed 229 deaths as of 11:00 GMT on Sunday. It said almost 630,000 people had been reported displaced.
The Philippines has been offered aid from overseas:
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US was delivering helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and search and rescue equipment on request.
The European Commission released 3m euros ($4m; £2.5m) in emergency funds and is sending a team of humanitarian experts.
The UK Rapid Response Facility is to provide £5m ($8m) in aid and a £600,000 shipment of emergency equipment. A team of four experts is already in the disaster zone.
The UN is to provide tents, food and relief supplies.
Typhoon Haiyan - one of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall - swept through six central Philippine islands on Friday.
It brought sustained winds of 235km/h (147mph)， with gusts of 275 km/h (170 mph)， with waves as high as 15m (45ft)， bringing up to 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain in places.
综合外国媒体11月11日报道，菲律宾因遭遇超强台风“海燕”遇难人数飙升，当地面临艰巨的救灾压力。该国总统阿基诺三世10日前往灾区视察，他考虑实施戒严或紧急状态令。
形势严峻
菲律宾内政部长罗克斯称，目前需要大量的人力物力投入救援。“从直升机上，可以看到整个受灾区域的范围，从海岸到附近的岛屿，全部都是光秃秃的，所有建筑物都被摧毁了。这更像是一场海啸，而不是一场台风。”
与此同时，菲律宾东部萨马省官员利奥·达卡诺斯透露，仅在该省一个小镇上，就有300人遇难，另有2000人失踪、成千上万人受伤。许多地区的通讯仍然受限。
而在台风登陆地点附近的基万镇，电视画面显示，当地的房屋都被夷为平地、道路损毁破烂不堪。“我没有房子、没有衣服。我不知道如何开始新生活……”当地居民对现状感到绝望，“我不知道这是怎么了，我们需要帮助。好心人，求你帮帮我，求你帮帮基万。”
交通受阻
根据菲律宾国家减灾委10日晚发布的最新灾情统计，台风“海燕”在菲律宾已造成229人死亡、近63万人流离失所。不过，西方媒体认为，实际遇难人数远远大于菲政府公布的数据，仅在重灾区莱特省首府塔克洛班市，就有1万人遇难。
“塔克洛班被彻底毁掉了。”当地教师安德鲁·波梅达说，“因为遭遇饥饿或者失去亲人的重创，有些人失去了理智。人们变得很暴力，为了找到食物充饥，他们抢劫商店、洗劫超市。我担心在一个星期内，就会有人饿死。”
负责人道主义事务的联合国官员表示，在菲律宾，很多道路仍旧无法通行，部分伤员因此不能得到救治。即使是在塔克洛班这个救援人员最先抵达的地区，因为道路损毁严重，在市区和机场之间，一段14英里(约合23公里)的往返路程却要花费长达6个小时。
人手不足
目前，台风“海燕”已在越南登陆。灾难过境留下满目疮痍，菲律宾开始全力展开救灾工作。菲政府称，莱特省及其首府塔克洛班市被列为重灾区，被投入最多的救灾力量。然而，当地情形仍旧不容乐观。
塔克洛班市官员称，由于人手严重不足，他们无法及时分发救灾物资、很难维持秩序，致使抢劫频发。“他们什么都抢，就连电视机都会搬走，用来换取食物。我们的人手极其短缺，2000名雇员中，只有大约100人能够正常工作，其他人都在忙着照顾他们的家人。”
根据英国广播公司记者鲁珀特·温菲尔德·海斯的报道，塔克洛班简直就是一座“毁灭之城”，“机场已经毁了，但还是有数百人在机场里苦苦等候，想要搭上飞机逃离这个可怕的地方”。
考虑戒严
10日，菲律宾总统阿基诺三世前往重灾区塔克洛班市视察，他表示，当前的首要工作是向灾民发放救援物资。
由于当地抢掠频发、秩序混乱，塔克洛班市副市长杰里·姚卡森(Jerry Yaokasin)向阿基诺三世提出建议，请求其宣布塔克洛班市进入紧急状态，如有需要的话，在那里实施戒严，以防止无政府状态蔓延。
阿基诺三世回应称，他将认真考虑上述建议。他还承诺，政府计划派出300名警员和士兵，目的是“恢复(塔克洛班的)和平与秩序”。
