The number of people in the Philippines confirmed dead from Typhoon
Haiyan now stands at 3,621, officials say.
UN and local agencies have issued conflicting tolls, and the final
figure is likely to rise still higher.
One week after the storm, food and supplies are now beginning to reach
survivors, but aid agencies say the logistics of distribution are
enormous.
The Philippine government has defended its response to the disaster,
one of the strongest storms ever on land.
The latest death toll of 3,621 issued by the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council was up from the figure of 3,422 the
interior secretary had given the BBC a few hours before.
The UN put the number of dead at 4,460. Officials said it was likely
more bodies would be found as aid teams reached outlying areas.
Desperate shortage’: Helicopters from a US aircraft carrier have been
transporting supplies to the devastated town of Guiuan on the Pacific
coast – the first to take the full force of the typhoon.
The carrier, USS George Washington, is expanding search-and-rescue
operations and providing a platform for helicopters to move supplies.
Pallets loaded with food and water have been taken from the aircraft
carrier to Tacloban, the capital of badly hit Leyte province, and
Guiuan.
However, the Philippine government says efforts to deliver aid are
being hampered by a desperate shortage of trucks.
“In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough,” said Interior
Secretary Mar Roxas. “The need is massive, the need is immediate, and
you can’t reach everyone.”
The emergency services themselves have been hard-hit: in the city of
Tacloban, barely a quarter of the police force reported for work this
week, BBC correspondents say.
The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said workers who had visited
Guiuan, in eastern Samar, described the situation faced by the 45,000
people there as “bleak”.
Many of the dozens of bodies lying in the open since Typhoon Haiyan
struck are now being cleared from the streets and buried.
Despite the relief effort, thousands of survivors continued to line up
at Tacloban’s airport on Thursday trying to leave the city.
Many countries have pledged help in the shape of financial aid, relief
supplies or emergency teams.
The UK government is sending the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious,
more than £20m ($32m) in aid, a team of medical experts and an RAF
transport aircraft.
China – which is engaged in a territorial dispute with the Philippines
– is sending 10m yuan ($1.6m; £1m) in relief goods.
Its initial pledge of $200,000 (£120,000) from the government and
Chinese Red Cross combined drew criticism in US media, but was also
condemned by some Chinese internet users as excessive. – BBC
Environment
