PM pledges another £30m in UK aid to Typhoon hit Philippines

epa03952472 Filipino typhoon victims rush to get relief goods from a US Navy SQea Hawk helicopter in the super typhoon devastated town of Salcedo, Samar island province, Philippines, 16 November 2013. Thousands of people were fleeing dire conditions in typhoon-devastated areas of the Philippines despite stepped up efforts to bring them relief from the disaster. At least 3,633 people were killed and nearly 2 million people were displaced by Typhoon Haiyan, which flattened cities and towns in the eastern Philippines, the government said. EPA/FRANCIS R. MALASIG

Staff|Agency

16 November 2013

David Cameron has announced the Government is to give an extra £30 million in aid to help the Philippines cope with the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

It brings the total amount of aid donated by the Government to £50 million.

Speaking at a press conference in Sri Lanka ahead of the Commonwealth summit, he said the scale of the disaster is "becoming clearer every day".

A C-130 Hercules aircraft, described as the "work horse" of the RAF fleet, will also be sent over to help carry aid workers to areas that have so far been difficult to reach.

Mr Cameron said: "Today I can announce we are providing another £30 million to support the UN and the Red Cross emergency appeals and we are also supplying an RAF C-130 Hercules aircraft to help ensure aid workers can move between the worst affected areas and get aid to those who need it."

His pledge comes on the day an RAF cargo plane carrying heavy duty vehicles and medical supplies is due to arrive in the Philippines as part of Britain's emergency response.

The huge C-17 transport plane, carrying two JCB diggers, two Land Rovers and a forklift truck emblazoned with stickers reading "UK aid from the British people", is expected to land this morning.

Mr Cameron added: "A week after Typhoon Haiyan hit, the scale of the disaster is becoming clearer every day - over 3,600 dead, nearly 12 million affected.

"They are going to need sustained help from the international community as they start to rebuild their lives.

"I'm proud of the fact that the UK has taken the lead in international relief with rapid response of warships, aircraft and equipment.

"I'm also very proud of the fact that the British public has once again shown great generosity and compassion and has so far donated £23 million."

The latest death toll given by Mr Cameron is an increase of more than 1,000 on estimates made by the country's civil defence agency earlier this week.

But some officials estimate that the final toll, when the missing are declared dead and remote regions are reached, will be more than 10,000.

At least 600,000 people have been displaced with many homeless, and large numbers of survivors are struggling without food, water and shelter.

A British man is among those missing in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, according to reports.

Colin Bembridge, 61, was staying with his Filipino partner Maybelle, 35, and their three-year-old daughter Victoria near Tacloban when the storm struck.

Channel 4 News said the pharmacist, from Grimbsy, had been visiting his girlfriend's relatives and had hired a beach house in Baybay, one of the ravaged coastal villages.

The mother of Mr Bembridge's partner, 79-year-old Lydia, showed Channel 4 News the wreckage of the beach house where her daughter and granddaughter had been staying.

"I just want to know whether they are dead or whether they were blown by the winds," she told the programme.

While searching the wreckage she found a dress belonging to Maybelle - the youngest of her eight children - and a games console belonging to Victoria.

She added: "Now that I am here I cannot see them. I am at a loss of where they are. My heart, it's hurting."

A 12-strong team of British doctors, surgeons and paramedics are already in the devastated country helping to treat survivors of the typhoon, the Department for International Development (DfID) said.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is also being sent there.

The vessel, which was taking part in exercises in the Gulf, will arrive in the disaster zone to support the humanitarian operation by November 25, replacing HMS Daring, which has already been deployed to the Philippines.

The Philippines government has defended its efforts to deliver aid.

Interior secretary Mar Roxas said: "In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough."

Workers in Tacloban have been burying scores of unidentified bodies in a mass grave as desperately needed aid begins to arrive.

Save the Children said three lorries carrying household and family hygiene kits will set off in convoy from Manila to reach Tacloban and will benefit 5,000 people.

Additional fuel, which has been in very short supply in the area, will also arrive and enable further distributions to take place over the coming days.

The charity's humanitarian relief co-ordinator, Michel Rooijackers, said: "Typhoon Haiyan overturned millions of lives when it hit the Philippines last Friday, causing destruction on a record-breaking scale, and shattering people's homes and livelihoods.

"The conditions in which families are living in right now are extremely difficult, and these items will provide some basic but essential relief."

Further distributions are planned over the coming days in Tacloban and other hard-hit areas.

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PM pledges another £30m in UK aid to Typhoon hit Philippines

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