(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121205-philippines-bopha.photoblog600.jpg)Karlos Manlupig / AFP - Getty ImagesResidents walk amongst their destroyed houses after Typhoon Bopha hit the town of Compostela on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Tuesday.By ReutersMANILA, Philippines -- The death toll from the Philippines' strongest typhoon this year rose on Wednesday to around 230, with hundreds missing in landslides and floodwaters, as the storm continued its destructive path across the island nation.
Typhoon Bopha, with central winds of 75 mph and gusts of up to 93 mph, battered beach resorts and dive spots in northern Palawan on Wednesday, but there was little damage as the storm began to weaken.
Hardest hit were the coastal, farming and mining towns in the southern Mindanao region, where Bopha made landfall on Tuesday, destroying homes, causing landslides and flash flooding and killing at least 230 people.
Arthur Uy, governor of the worst-hit province Compostela Valley in Mindanao, said raging water and mud from the mountains swept through school buildings, covered courts, town halls, and health centers where residents had taken shelter. The death toll in the province stood at 150.
NBCNews