Typhoon Xangsane's death toll climbed to 94 people as fierce winds and rains ran havoc across the northern and central Philippines. Most of the dead were drowned, buried by landslides, hit by fallen trees or electrocuted.

Most of the additional fatalities were recovered in Cavite province, just outside the capital, where a mini-dam collapsed due to heavy rains and winds. According to provincial authoritie, 21 people were confirmed dead, 19 of whom were swept away by the flood. Other fatalities were caused by falling trees.

Phillipine's Office of the Civil Defence said the death toll would likely continue to rise as reports had yet to arrive from distant areas hit by typhoon Xangsane.

Typhoon Xangsane is now on its way to Vietnam where thousands are evacuated and flights cancelled. Vietnamese TV showed footage of people building barricades with sandbags and digging tunnels to hide from the storm.

Typhoon Xangsane, which means "elephant" in the Lao language, is expected to hit the coast of central Vietnam late on Saturday or early on Sunday with heavy rains that may cause flooding and landslides.

"The typhoon is extremely powerful and is expected to affect a large area," Vietnamese meteorology centre said.

However, weather officials hope that the storm doesn't reach the coffee-growing areas. Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil.