Typhoon Haiyan: As it happened on Monday

On early Monday, the storm weakened to a great extent, reducing to a tropical storm of Category 1, when it made landfall in Vietnam. Here are the live updates.

Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha and Manisha Singh 10:35 pm: Dalai Lama conveys condolences to Philippines typhoon victims The Dalai Lama today conveyed his condolences to the people of the Philippines over death of thousands of people from that country from typhoon Haiyan. He wrote a letter to the President of Philippines, President Benigno Aquino III and expressed his sadness over the loss of lives and the extensive damage caused. A donation would also be made from the Dalai Lama Trust to support relief work in the Philippines. 10:25 pm: Two US marine cargo planes arrive in Tacloban Two US marine C-130 cargo planes arrived in Tacloban. This is the coastal city of Philippines where the devastation by the typhoon` has been enormous. The planes were reported to have begun unloading emergency items on Monday evening. This is the first move of an aid operation in which many countries and agencies are taking part. 9:30 pm: Victims of Typhoon Haiyan are being buried in mass graves, says UN The United Nations said officials in Tacloban, which bore the brunt of the storm on Friday, had reported one mass grave of 300-500 bodies. More than 600,000 people were displaced by the storm across the country and some have no access to food, water, or medicine, the UN says. - Reuters 8:58 pm: ASEM asks ASEAN to match typhoon-hit Philippines` needs The ASEM Foreign Ministers` meeting today asked the ASEAN Secretariat to match the requirement of typhoon-hit Philippines in which thousands of people lost their lives as India was also considering extending assistance to that country. Conveying their condolences at the loss of lives, the Foreign Ministers at the meeting asked the ASEAN Secretariat not to duplicate but match the requirement of Philippines, sources said. - PTI 8:00 pm: Economic losses of close to about USD 810 million in Hainan The typhoon has resulted in economic losses of close to about USD 810 million in Hainan by Monday evening, especially in the agricultural, fishing and forestry sectors, according to Chen Wu, spokesman for the Hainan Provincial Flood, Drought and Typhoon Prevention Department. Typhoon Haiyan has destroyed over 3,600 houses and damaged about 1.22 lakh hectares of farmland in the province. 7:05 pm: 9 dead in Haiyan-triggered rainstorms in China Nine persons have been killed in incidents triggered by Typhoon Haiyan. The typhoon has killed over 10,000 lives in Philippines, as per reports. Two bodies were found in the southern island province of Hainan, as per state-run Xinhua news agency. Also, five crew members of the ship remained missing after the ship`s mooring rope broke when the typhoon drove the vessel away from Sanya in Hainan, the report said. 6:40 pm: UN climate talks open amid `sobering` typhoon Nations launched a new round of talks today for a 2015 deal to cut Earth-warming greenhouse gas emissions in the aftermath of a deadly Philippines typhoon the UN`s climate chief labelled "sobering". The 12-day United Nations talks opened amid a slew of warnings about potentially disastrous warming with increasingly extreme weather phenomena unless humankind changes its atmosphere-polluting, fossil-fuel burning ways. "What happens in this stadium is not a game. There are not two sides but the whole of humanity. There are no winners and losers, we all either win or lose in the future we make for ourselves," UN climate chief Christiana Figueres told climate negotiators. - AFP 6:20 pm: Philippine President declares state of national calamity Philippine President Aquino declares state of national calamity after Typhoon Haiyan left thousands dead and hundreds homeless. 6:05 pm: Philippines negotiator to fast for climate progress A climate negotiator from the Philippines, which is mopping up the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, pledged Monday to fast at UN talks in Warsaw until clear progress is made in the fractious process. "In solidarity with my countrymen who are struggling to find food back home and with my brother who has not had food for the last three days... I will now commence a voluntary fasting," envoy Naderev Sano said as the 12-day talks opened to discuss ways of curbing climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. - AFP 5:00 pm: Tropical depression `Zoraida` might worsen the situation To make matters worse, another tropical depression named `Zoraida` is set to hit Philippines on late Tuesday, bringing in heavy rainfalls and pass through the areas already battered by Typhoon Haiyan. According to a report posted on Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the country`s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered pre-emptive evacuation in low-lying and landslide-prone areas in Bohol, Cebu and Southern Leyte. The report says that although tropical storm “Zoraida” has been described as less powerful than super typhoon “Yolanda”, it would be better to be “over-prepared". 4:30 pm: Philippine military confirms 942 deaths The official death toll from typhoon Haiyan was pegged at 942 by the country`s military. Also, 275 were told to be missing, said the Military spokesman Lt Jim Alagao. However, two top officials pegged the death toll at more than 10, 000 earlier on Sunday. 4:00 pm: Viber lets Philippine users call overseas for free In a bid to help the typhoon-hit Filipinos, Smartphone application Viber has allowed them the facility of free overseas calling so that they can contact their loved ones outside the country. The Viber website said in a post, “In light of the current situation in the Philippines, we are opening a temporary service, allowing Filipino users to call regular (non Viber) numbers outside of the Philippines for free. Please note that this is not a final product, so not all countries are supported and quality may vary. You may have to restart your phone for this to work". 3:30 pm: Typhoon ordeal: Survivors beg for food and water With the deadly storm having ruined almost everything that came its way, the survivors are left with nothing to hope for the future as there was no water, food or medicine available. Communication lines and commuting was disrupted and the rescue work was delayed by the turmoil. In such frantic times, people who survived the monster storm, were reported to be sending heart-rending appeals. One of the survivors from Guiuan, a town of 40, 000 people which was first hit by the typhoon, said, “I have no house, I have no clothes. I don’t know how I will restart my life, I am so confused,” an unidentified woman said, crying. “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.”

3:00 pm: How can you beat that typhoon? asks Defence chief Calling the typhoon as the "strongest on Earth", the country`s defence chief Voltaire Gazmin expressed exasperation when asked if the government`s response had not been prompt. "How can you beat that typhoon?" Reuters quoted him as saying. "It`s the strongest on Earth. We`ve done everything we can, we had lots of preparation. It`s a lesson for us," he added. 2: 30 pm: Typhoon ruins: `Just like matchsticks flung inland` Also Read: `Miracle` baby girl born amid typhoon tragedy in Philippines The spectacle of devastation and destruction unleashed by the deadly typhoon was described as horrific by the Interior Secretary, Manuel Roxas who said, "From the shore and moving a kilometre inland, there are no structures standing. I don’t know how to describe what I saw… It’s horrific.” He added: “Imagine … all the shanties, everything, destroyed. They were just like matchsticks flung inland.” Also, Jane Cocking, the humanitarian director for Oxfam, said her colleagues witnessed "complete devastation... entire parts of the coastline just disappeared, and sizable trees just bent over and [were] thrown about like matchsticks," reported the BBC. 2:00 pm: Disasters Emergency Committee raises 1.1 billion pounds for relief work Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella group comprising fourteen UK charities, has raised a remarkable figure of 1.1 billion pounds to help the typhoon-hit nation and it will also make an appeal to mobilise humanitarian aid to the disaster-hit Philippines, reported the guardian. The group that includes Oxfam and UK Red Cross, is well known for having raised £392 million in 2004`s Indian Ocean Tsunami and £107 million for the earthquake in Haiti. 1:30 pm: Good news amid grief and chaos: A baby girl born Amid an ocean of grief, a good news stroked the Tacloban City like a fresh breeze. 21-year old Emily Ortega gave birth to a baby girl at the city`s airport. The delivery of the baby, who appeared in good health, was facilitated by the military and airport medics. "She is my miracle. I had thought I would die with her still inside me when high waves came and took us all away," the baby`s mother said. "She is so beautiful. I will name her Bea Joy in honour of my mother, Beatriz," Emily Sagalis said after giving birth. 1:00 First US relief flight C-130 heads to Tacloban city Carrying relief materials, a US military plane with a contingent of marines on board left Manila for the typhoon-devastated Tacloban City. The C-130, which is the first American relief plane to head to Tacloban, left Manila`s Vilamor air base loaded with bottled water, generators wrapped in plastic, a forklift and two trucks, a news agency reported. 12:40 pm: Relief pours in from UN and other agencies As a battered Philippines attempts to recover from a traumatic devastation, a number of agencies like the WFP, Red Cross, UNICEF, World vision, etc are trying to contribute their best: UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME has decided to aid $2 million for the disaster and said it will send more than 40 tons of high energy biscuits and work with the Filipino government to help with logistics and emergency communications systems. UNICEF said it will send 66 tons of emergency supplies from Copenhagen. Moreover, an airlift set to arrive on Tuesday will include water purification systems, storage equipment and sanitation supplies. 12:20 pm: "Deeply saddened" Obama hails Filipinos` resilience US President Barack Obama expressed deep regret over the deadly Haiyan typhoon saying that America was providing humnaitarian aid and would be ready to assist further. "Michelle and I are deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage done by Super Typhoon Yolanda. But I know the incredible resiliency of the Philippine people, and I am confident that the spirit of Bayanihan will see you through this tragedy," Obama said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people affected by this devastating storm". 12:00 pm: US sends Marines, sailors to aid typhoon-hit victims As promised, the US is sending a team of 90 Marines and sailors to provide with military assistance in search and rescue operations in wake of the typhoon Haiyan. The Marines from a US base in Okinawa, Japan headed to Philippines aboard two KC-130J Hercules transport aircraft, the Marines said in a statement. The US Defence Department is also monitoring the affect of the typhoon and the Pentagon has already announced that directed the US Pacific Command will be helping with US government humanitarian relief operations in the Philippines. The main focus will be on "surface maritime search and rescue (SAR), medium-heavy helicopter lift support, fixed-wing lift support and logistics enablers", said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. 11: 40 am: Haiyan may be the deadliest typhoon on record With wind speeds one of the highest recorded ever and a death toll that may be more than 10, 000, typhoon Haiyan is the deadliest storm to have hit Phillipines ever and it also might be the strongest typhoon the world history has ever seen. Before Haiyan, Philippines has earlier witnessed typhoon Thelma in 1991, which had claimed about 5,100 lives. However the record of the most deadliest disaster to have battered Philippines was a magnitude-7.9 earthquake in 1976 that triggered a tsunami in the Moro Gulf in the southern Philippines, killing 5,791 people. 11: 20 am: Typhoon Haiyan affected 9.5 million Filipinos The number of people affected by the typhoon in Philippines has risen to 9.5 million, i.e, almost 9% of the population, said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Yesterday the number of people impacted by Haiyan wasa pegged at 4.3 million by a UN humanitarian agency. 11:00 am: "Get int`l help now – its worse than hell" Devastated and battered by the typhoon, Philippine survivors, with relatives dead, business destroyed and homes levelled, are going through harrowing times and are in need of immediate help. One such survivor, Magina Fernandez, who lost her home and business to the monster typhoon, described the situation as "worse than hell". "Get international help to come here now -- not tomorrow, now," she said. "This is really, really like bad, bad, worse than hell, worse than hell," the CNN quoted her. 10:40 am: Typhoon turmoil impedes rescue efforts The roads blocked with debris, ruined bridges and damaged airport were all proving to be major obstacles in the way of rescue officials as supplies were being delayed. Even the hospitals were overfull and doctors were refusing to take in new patients, reports said. 10:20 am: Philippines Army deployed to thwart looting Loot and chaos was rampant in Philippines with people desperate for food robbing the stores for any available eatables. Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said that people were taking away anything available from the stores like TV, other appliances as they would trade them for food later. Philippine President Benigno Aquino ordered over a hundred Army soldiers to be deployed in the city to prevent looting. The President also said that he might impose martial law or a state of emergency to ensure security. 10:00 am: Typhoon turmoil: Many tourists remained stranded in the storm-ravaged Philippines as the roads strewn with mud and debris hampered commuting. Nancy Chang, on a business trip from China to Tacloban City described the situation as "end of the world". She had to walk for three hours to reach airport. "Seawater reached the second floor of the hotel," she told Reuters. 9:50 am: Six missing in China, 13, 000 evacuated Even though the typhoon is yet to make a landfall in China, six people were reported missing off the island province of Hainan, reported Xinhua. They were on board a cargo vessel and might have fell prey to storm-triggered waves. China has also evacuated more than 13,000 people from the major tourist resort of Sanya on Hainan. 9:40 am: China upgrades alert from Yellow to Red for typhoon Haiyan Cautioning against the impending typhhon`s arrival, China`s National Meteorological Center (NMC)issued a red alert, which is the highest level alert in the country`s four-color typhoon warning system. Yesterday, China had issued an orange alert when the typhoon was still churning its way across Philippine islands. But as today morning, the severe typhoon hit Vietnam near China border, the country has geared up for the torrential rains and gusty winds which according to the National Meteorological Center, Haiyan is bringing across Chinese provinces of Hainan and Guangdong as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as it is moving eastwards from Vietnam. 9:30 am: Red Cross says Typhoon caused "absolute bedlam" Describing the humongous devastation caused by the typhoon Haiyan in Philippines as "absolute bedlam", Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, told the BBC that the situation would hopefully improve as more supplies reach the area. He added that the roads were being cleared of the debris so that more relief materials could be transported without further delay. "It`s only now that they were able to get in and we`re beginning just to bring in the necessary food items..." 9:20 am: Over 6 lakh evacuated in Vietnam Gearing up for the severe storm, over 600,000 people were moved to safrwer zones like underground shelters where there i s provision of enough food for several days. Already six people have been killed in Vietnam by the torrential rains and heavy flooding. 9:10 am: Typhoon Haiyan reduced to Category One storm in Vietnam The typhoon which was a Category Five storm when it battered Philippines, has dissipated much of its strength and is now reduced to a much weaker Category One storm with wind speeds dropping to 140Km/h from earlier gusts of 275 Km/h. It is now classified as a severe tropical storm 9:00 am: Typhoom Haiyan hits Vietnam Having unleashed a formidable spectacle of death and devastation in Philippines, the monster typhoon lost much strength when it made a landfall in Vietnam. As per the Vietnamese national weather forecast agency, Haiyan made landfall in northern province of Quang Ninh at 5 am. The Vietnamese national weather forecast agency said Haiyan made landfall in northern province of Quang Ninh at 5 am. One of the strongest typhoons on record, typhoon Haiyan is feared to have killed over 10, 000 in the Tacloban city of Letye province in Philippines. The typhoon was a fierce storm with gusts of over 275km/h and sustained winds of 235 km/h when it hit Philippines, and was a Category 5 typhoon that brought along upto 400mm rains in places. But on early Monday, the storm weakened to a great extent, reducing to a tropical storm of Category 1, when it made landfall in Vietnam.