More than 100 are feared dead after a typhoon battered the Philippines, with thousands desperately awaiting rescue. Families clung to anything that would float after homes were deluged by the force of tropical storm Ketsana.

It was rated as twice as bad as Hurricane Katrina, which swamped Louisiana in 2005. In the Philippines capital Manila, rescue services were overwhelmed and 9ft of floodwater left many trapped on rooftops. Army and civilian helicopters were drafted in to drop food and supplies to at least 30,000 people. One helper said last night: "It's a huge task."