Manila  - Rescue and relief efforts intensified on Monday in the the aftermath of Typhoon Fengshen, which caused massive destruction in a large part of the Philippines and left at least 186 people dead and hundreds missing.

The weather bureau said Fengshen, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour, was spotted Monday at sea 300 kilometres north-west of the northen city of Dagupan.

Fengshen, which was heading towards the general direction of Taiwan, will stay within the Philippine area of responsibility until Tuesday, the agency added.

Rescuers and relief workers continued to battle high floodwaters in several towns of Iloilo province, 465 kilometres south of Manila, where at least 101 people have been killed.

Iloilo Governor Neil Tupas said the death toll was expected to rise as dozens more remained missing.

Tupas said Fengshen was the worst typhoon to hit the city in more than three decades. He appealed for rubberboats to allow rescuers to penetrate hard-to-reach areas.

The southern region of Mindanao, which was first hit by the typhoon, suffered 21 fatalities. Nine were killed in Antique province, four in the central province of Capiz, two each in the provinces of Romblon, Batangas, Bulacan, Zambales, Quezon, Negros Occidental and Leyte.

The provinces Marinduque and Mindoro Oriental each reported one fatality.

The death toll includes 35 confirmed killed in the sinking of a passenger ferry carrying 849 people aboard off Sibuyan Island, 300 kilometres south of Manila, on Saturday. Thirty-eight survivors have been found, but more than 770 are still unaccounted for.

The United States was to dispatch a rescue vessel to help in the search for survivors from the sunken ferry.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said Fengshen's damage to infrastructure and agriculture were initially estimated to cost 1 billion pesos (22.52 million dollars).

It noted that several areas throughout the country have remained unreachable due to high floodwaters and landslides, while electricity and communication were also still down in some areas.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who left Manila on Saturday for a 10-day visit in the United States, has scolded senior officials during a video teleconference about the high death toll.

Early Monday, Arroyo blasted the head of the NDCC for failing to come up with a consolidated report on the damage caused by Fengshen. On Sunday, she reprimanded the Coast Guard's head for allowing the Princess of the Stars to sail despite a tyhoon warning. (dpa)