Death toll of up to 10,000 from Typhoon Haiyan
AT LEAST 10,000 people are believed to have been killed in the central Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan – one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.
Huge waves and winds of up to 235mph devastated the province of Leyte, which took the brunt of the storm on Friday.
Britain has now committed £6m to help survivors, and supplies from UK aid warehouses and air transportation add another £600,000.
Witnesses and officials described chaotic scenes in Leyte’s capital, Tacloban, with hundreds of bodies piled along roads and pinned under wrecked houses.
The government was last night considering introducing martial law as looters rampaged through stores.
Meanwhile rescuers’ efforts to deliver food and water were hampered by severed roads and communications and mobs have reportedly attacked trucks loaded with food, tents and water on Tanauan bridge in Leyte.
Last night International Monetary Fund (IMF) leader Christine Lagarde, said: “Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones, crews undertaking the rescue operation, and with the people of the Philippines.”