Plagued by Mother Nature

Across Asia, the one story making the headlines has been natural disasters.

The worst affected is the Philippines - it was struck by an earthquake even before it could recover from the damage brought on by Typhoon Nari.

The devastating quake struck in the central island of Bohol on Tuesday.

At Loon, a small coastal town of about 40,000 people just 20km from the quake's epicentre, shocked survivors wandered around the rubble of collapsed buildings on Wednesday looking for relatives.

Farmer Serafin Megallen said he dug with his hands, brick-by-brick, to rescue his mother-in-law and cousin from the rubble of their home on Tuesday.

"They were alive but they died of their injuries three hours later. There was no rescue that came. We had to rely on neighbours for help," he told AFP.

"No one will give them last rites because the church was also destroyed," he said.

Local priest, Father Tomas Balakayo, said: "We're trying our best to keep hopes up, but in this desperate situation there is nothing much we can do beyond giving comforting words."

Over in Vietnam, Typhoon Nari caused widespread damage, hitting the Unesco-listed ancient capital of Hue and the city of Danang.

"The city looks like a battlefield," local resident, Ms Nguyen Thi Lan, said. Residents said it was the biggest typhoon since 2006.

SHELTER

In Japan, Typhoon Wipha, the strongest in a decade, caused landslides that buried houses as it churned past an island just south of Tokyo.

Residents sought shelter in evacuation centres, reporting dirty water had been gushing into their homes, according to local media.

The hardest hit was Izu Oshima island, which is about 120km south of Tokyo.

Mr Yutaka Sagara, a 59-year-old sushi chef on the east coast of the island, told AP he spent a sleepless night with colleagues at their company housing.

"People on this island are somewhat used to heavy rainstorms, but this typhoon was beyond our imagination," he said.

India was also recently hit by Cyclone Phailin, the strongest in 14 years, with the most affected being the eastern part of the country.

About half a million people sought refuge in evacuation centres.

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