A typhoon battered the Philippine capital Manila as surrounding provinces were still reeling from recent flooding, sending residents of one town clambering on to rooftops today to escape rising waters.

Divers managed to get inside an upside-down ferry today but found only bodies three days after the vessel capsized with more than 800 people aboard off the coast of the Philippines during a powerful typhoon, officials said.

Rescuers today gave up hope of finding survivors in villages swamped by mudslides on the slopes of the Mayon volcano, five days after a typhoon killed an estimated 1,000 people.

A €300,000 aid package in response to Typhoon Durian, which has caused devastation across the Philippines, was announced today by the Government.

Rescuers, some using their bare hands, combed mud-stricken villages on the slopes of the Philippines’ Mayon volcano today, five days after a typhoon left a trail of destruction estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people.

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity today as the top Red Cross official estimated more than 1,000 people have been killed after a massive typhoon unleashed walls of black mud on entire villages.

Typhoon Durian smashed into the Philippines with heavy rains and winds gusting up to 165 mph, spawning flash floods and sending walls of muddy volcanic ash and red-hot boulders crashing down on several villages, officials said today.

The fourth devastating super typhoon in as many months has battered the Philippines, setting off a volcanic mudslide and widespread flooding that killed at least 109 people and left dozens more missing, officials said today.