TACLOBAN, Philippines – Philippine troops killed two armed insurgents who attacked an aid convoy en route to typhoon-devastated Tacloban on Tuesday (November 12th), the military said, as soldiers were deployed to quell looting, AFP reported.

Fifteen Communist rebels ambushed aid trucks on their way to the storm-wracked region, Lieutenant Colonel Joselito Kakilala said, adding that two members of the New People's Army were killed and another wounded in the clash in Matnog.

A curfew was in force in Tacloban as armoured vehicles and elite security forces patrolled streets, where famished survivors had raided stores and ransacked other aid convoys. Survivors reported seeing gangs stealing consumer goods from shops, including televisions and washing machines.

As night fell in the ravaged city, heavily armed policemen manned checkpoints or patrolled the streets that were lined with corpses.

"(The curfew) is a tool that we are using to minimise the looting and break-ins. We know some people cannot return home because their homes were washed away, but it is more effective against roving gangs who are looking for targets of opportunity," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said.