Bopha, the strongest typhoon to have hit the Philippines this year, was headed towards the tourist destinations Wednesday after battering the southern Philippines, destroying buildings, setting off floods and landslides and killing over 200 people.

The typhoon with central winds of 120 kph (75 mph) and gusts of up to 160 kph (93 mph) was expected to hit the beach resorts and dive spots in northern Palawan Wednesday, Reuters reported citing the weather bureau. The typhoon continued to soak a wide area with heavy rains, raising the risk of mudslides and flash floods elsewhere.

Intense winds stuck the large southern island of Mindanao, uprooting trees and destroying homes. The typhoon, which made a landfall in Compostela Valley Tuesday, had affected more than 120,000 people, news agencies reported citing the Philippine disaster agency. More than 85,000 people were in evacuation centers, the reports said.

Officials said the death toll was likely to have risen above 200 after at least 151 people were killed in the worst-hit province of Compostela Valley, the Associated Press reported.

A landslide in eastern Mindanao blocked a national highway, leaving hundreds of people stranded, news agencies reported.

About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines annually, often causing death and destruction. Last year’s Typhoon Washi killed 1,500 people.

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Bodies of flash flood victims lie on the ground as villagers look for their missing relatives after Typhoon Bopha hit New Bataan in Compostela province Dec. 5, 2012 REUTERS
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Residents wait for a truck to transport them into an evacuation center as local officials ordered enforced evacuation ahead of Typhoon Bopha in Cagayan de Oro City, southern Dec. 3, 2012 REUTERS
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Residents saw an uprooted tree to clear the road after Typhoon Bopha hit Tagum City Dec. 3, 2012 REUTERS
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Residents retrieve their belongings after their house was destroyed by a fallen tree caused by Typhoon Bopha in Cagayan de Oro City Dec. 4, 2012 REUTERS
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Rescuers carry a flash flood victim after Typhoon Bopha hit New Bataan Dec. 5, 2012 REUTERS
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Villagers look for their relatives among flash flood victims after Typhoon Bopha hit New Bataan Dec. 5, 2012 REUTERS
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Members of the Philippine National Red Cross apply first aid to a man who survived a flash flood after Typhoon Bopha hit New Bataan Dec. 5, 2012 REUTERS
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A family cries after finding their relative among victims of a flash flood after Typhoon Bopha hit New Bataan, Compostela province Dec. 5, 2012 REUTERS