Super typhoon Rai ravaged Siargao in the Philippines, leaving at least 15 locals dead on the famous tourist island.

Footage taken on December 19 shows uprooted trees and devastated homes after the storm ripped through the area. Resort facilities have also reportedly been destroyed.

Rescue flights for stranded victims were carried out by authorities on Sunday. Arrvine Cruz, a witness who was airlifted out of the island, said: 'There was no power and no water in the whole of Siargao. It won't be long before potable water runs out.

'There was no signal either because all the cell sites were destroyed. The houses and resorts, especially those made of wood, were completely wrecked.'

Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, smashed into the Philippines on December 16, with winds of up to 195 kilometres per hour, making its first landfall on Siargao island. The powerful typhoon left widespread devastation across the country’s Visayas and Mindanao Islands.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said more than 1.8 million people have been affected by Typhoon Rai, while the Philippine National Police said the death tally has reached 208 as of Monday December 20.

Local government units in affected areas have reported power outages and telecommunication problems, with coastal areas suffering the brunt of the damage.

National weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Typhoon Rai left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday December 18. It is intensifying over the West Philippine Sea and is expected to approach central Vietnam and Hainan island in China.