video transcript

This is the trail of destruction left in the wake of the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. More than 280 people have been killed, and with hundreds reported missing the death toll could rise further still. Officials in the country's southern Mindanao region said raging water and mud from the mountains swept through the area, wreaking havoc. One woman - who lost her mother in the typhoon - said the strength of the floods overwhelmed them. (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN WHO LOST HER MOTHER: "We didn't think the winds would get that strong. The floods were rushing towards us. We didn't imagine it would turn out that way." Authorities said mining and farming areas in Compostela Valley were heavily affected, with some banana plantations completely wiped out. About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. In 2011 Typhoon Washi killed 1500 people in Mindanao.