AP PHOTOS: Devastation and death in Philippines

(AP) – Two days after one of the strongest typhoons on record slammed into the Philippines, the death toll in the devastated country is rising. Thousands are feared dead across the hardest-hit areas, including Tacloban, the Leyte provincial capital of 200,000 people. About 300-400 bodies have already been recovered. A mass burial was planned Sunday in Palo town near Tacloban. Haiyan hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago on Friday and quickly barreled across its central islands before exiting into the South China Sea, packing winds of 235 kilometers per hour (147 miles per hour) that gusted to 275 kph (170 mph), and a storm surge that caused sea waters to rise 6 meters (20 feet).

Here’s a gallery of images from the Philippines.

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