Hundreds feared dead in Philippine landslides

MANILA, Dec 1 (Reuters) Typhoon Durian may have killed up to 400 people in the central Philippines after heavy rains and winds sent tonnes of mud and boulders the size of cars crashing onto villages, the head of the local Red Cross said today.

Durian, which packed winds of up to 225 kph moved into the South China Sea after lashing the Philippines since early Thursday and was expected to weaken into a tropical storm before hitting Vietnam on Monday.

Communities close to Mount Mayon, an active volcano about 320 km south of Manila, were buried after Durian dislodged mounds of debris from its slopes.

''There are a lot of conflicting reports but, looking at the trend, we could have about 300 to 400 people dead by tonight,'' Richard Gordon, a senator and head of the Philippine Red Cross, told local television.

Around 11,000 people were left homeless and infrastructure damaged, including power lines and phone links knocked out, bridges washed away and roads buried by landslides.

''It's a wasteland,'' said Noel Rosal, a mayor in the central region of Bicol.

Disaster reports from other provinces were sketchy.

PUNGENT FRUIT Named after a pungent and spiky Asian fruit, the typhoon was the fourth to hit the Philippines in three months.

Forecasters expect one more before the end of the year.

In September, 213 people were killed when Typhoon Xangsane battered the north and centre of the country, leaving millions without electricity or running water for days.

Xangsane also killed dozens in Vietnam.

MORE REUTERS PDM HS1659