台风海燕肆虐菲律宾后转为热带风暴登陆越南

One of the fiercest typhoons ever recorded has devastated the central Philippines, leaving entire cities and towns in ruins and as many as 10,000 people dead.

Aid groups are struggling to reach the hardest-hit areas where food and drinkable water are difficult to find.

The United States and several other countries are sending supplies and rescue personnel to the region. The first U.S. aid and military personnel flew Monday from Manila to Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas.

The aid effort is being hampered by looting, as mobs not only grabbed food and water from stores, but also took consumer items like TVs, washing machines and refrigerators.

The fast-moving storm slammed into Leyte Island from the east on Friday. By Sunday, as the scale of the destruction became clear, Philippine authorities said it is near certain the death toll will rise substantially. President Benigno Aquino declared a region-wide state of calamity.

By early Monday, the storm began losing strength as it came ashore in Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province and was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall. Forecasters expect it to weaken to a low depression later in the day in southern China.有记录以来最强大的台风之一肆虐菲律宾中部，将整座的城市和乡镇变成一片废墟，有多达1万人死亡。

救援组织正设法进入缺乏食物和饮水的重灾区。美国和其他几个国家向灾区运送了物资和救援人员。美国第一批救援人员和军人星期一从马尼拉乘机前往灾情最严重的地区之一塔克洛班市。

劫掠使得救援工作受到影响。一些人不仅抢劫商店的食物和水，还拿走电视、洗衣机和冰箱等消费品。

台风海燕这股快速移动的风暴星期五从东部登陆菲律宾礼智岛。星期天，已经可以明显看到台风的破坏规模。菲律宾当局说，几乎可以肯定死亡人数将大幅上升。菲律宾总统阿基诺宣布整个地区进入灾难状态。

星期一清晨，这场风暴在越南北部的广宁省登陆，同时风力开始减弱，被降级为热带风暴。气象预报说，“海燕”星期一晚些时候将在中国南部地区减弱为热带低压。