At least 1,000 killed in Philippine city, Red Cross says

This image provided by NASA shows Typhoon Haiyan taken by the Aqua satellite Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, at 12:15 a.m. EST as it passed over the Philippines. One of the strongest storms to ever make landfall slammed into the central Philippines Friday, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes, knocked out power and communications but appeared to spare the country from a major catastrophe officials said. (AP Photo/NASA)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The strongest typhoon this year slammed into the central Philippines on Friday, setting off landslides and knocking out power and communication lines in several provinces.

MANILA -- The Philippine Red Cross estimated that more than 1,000 people were killed in the coastal city of Tacloban and at least 200 in hard-hit Samar province when one of the strongest typhoons ever to make landfall slammed into the country.

Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, said the numbers came from preliminary reports by Red Cross teams in Tacloban and Samar, among the most devastated areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan on Friday.

“An estimated more than 1,000 bodies were seen floating in Tacloban as reported by our Red Cross teams,” she told Reuters. "In Samar, about 200 deaths. Validation is ongoing.”

She said she expected a more exact number to emerge after a more precise counting of bodies on the ground in those regions.