Officials in the devastated Philippines say the super typhoon has caused a ‘tsunami-like disaster’ and it is feared 10,000 people have been killed in one city alone.

There are reports of major looting in Tacloban, Leyte – which has been most badly damaged by the typhoon – and the government is considering introducing martial law to ensure security.

Efforts by aid agencies to deliver food and water to the worst affected areas have been hampered by severed roads and communications and witnesses say people are taking whatever they can from shops and garages. A TV station said ATM machines have been broken open in tacloban.

The Philippines president is considering introducing martial law in Tacloban city (pictured), where up to 10,000 people are feared dead, to enforce security after serious looting

This image taken by astronaut Karen L. Nyberg and released by NASA shows Super Typhoon Haiyan from the International Space Station yesterday

10,000 people have been killed in super typhoon Haiyan that hit the central Philippines on Friday, according to a police chief in the area

A Filipino father and his children wait for food relief outside their makeshift tent. Survivors have foraged for food as supplies dwindled

Washing still hangs on the lines but dozens of bamboo houses have been flattened by the storm in Baladian in the municipality of Concepcion, Iloilo Province

Loss: A mother weeps beside the dead body of her son at a chapel in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban

Mobs attacked trucks loaded with food, tents and water on Tanauan bridge in Leyte, said Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon.

He said: ‘These are mobsters operating out of there.’

President Benigno Aquino said the government had deployed 300 soldiers and police to restore order and that he was considering introducing martial law or a state of emergency in Tacloban to ensure security.

‘Tonight, a column of armoured vehicles will be arriving in Tacloban to show the government’s resolve and to stop this looting,’ he said.

As Vietnam braced itself for the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan last night, in the Philippines, bodies have been seen floating down the streets and hanging from trees, cars lying upside down and houses reduced to a pile of soggy mud and brick.

Eastern islands and the centre of the country were battered by winds in excess of 200mph.

Super typhoon Haiyan is believed to be the strongest storm to ever hit land.

A ship was washed ashore in the huge storm. Surging sea water strewed debris for miles and survivors said the devastation was like a tsunami

The typhoon is due to land in China tonight and winds are already strong enough to blow down this billboard

The storm is one of the most powerful ever recorded and huge waves swept away entire coastal villages and destroyed up to 80 per cent of the area in its path

More than 330,900 people were displaced and 4.3million ‘affected’ by the typhoon in 36 provinces, the U.N. has said

Residents try to salvage belongings in Tacloban city, Leyte province. Rescuers have not even been able to contact some towns on the coast where the storm first hit

Villagers walk past a body of victim laying on a pier in the super typhoon devastated city of Tacloban, Leyte province

As well as the 10,000 feared dead in Tacloban, there are concerns hundreds more have been killed in remote coastal areas.

Among the tragic images that were emerging was the sight of a distressed man carrying the body of his drowned six-year-old daughter.

Because communications were cut, the number killed might not be known for several days, but from numerous towns and villages across the country today, the shocking figures began to reach rescue centres – including a report from Basey town on Samar Island that 300 were confirmed dead and another 2,000 were missing.

On the island of Leyte, regional governor Dominic Petilla reported that there were 10,000 deaths there, mostly from drownings and collapsed buildings.

Mr Leo Dacaynos of the provincial disaster office on Samar Island said yesterday that the storm surge resulted in sea waters rising to 20ft, totally submerging small towns and villages.

The flood waters were still preventing rescuers from reaching parts of the island, said Mr Dacaynos, and mobile towers had been destroyed, making communication difficult.

Read more: Daily Mail