Picture Story - Philippines

22/12/2011 - Throughout the year the Philippines have been lashed by successive tropical storms, typhoons and heavy rainfall. While storms are a regular occurrence, the magnitude of Washi and the ferocity with which it hit this part of the country were quiet exceptional. People were not prepared and that has magnified the size of this tragedy.

Captions and Photos: Mathias Eick and Evangelos Petratos, EU/ECHO