MANILA, the Philippines -- Typhoon Bopha, described as the strongest storm of the year, killed at least eight people Tuesday (December 4th), and AFP reported that the death toll could rise sharply.

The storm made landfall at dawn on the southern island of Mindanao, where a flash flood reportedly swept away an army truck carrying as many as 50 people.

The typhoon packed gusts of up to 210km an hour, taking down trees and power lines. Localised flooding forced more than 50,000 people into emergency shelters, AFP said.