Aid boost for the Philippines but hundreds of thousands face deteriorating conditions

More aid is starting to arrive in Tacloban, the Philippines’ worst hit city in last week’s typhoon disaster.

A Swedish aircraft with relief goods and medical aid landed at the city’s airport on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile a US aircraft carrier with around 5000 crew and more than 80 aircraft including helicopters is helping get aid moving amidst warnings that parts of the region outside the city desperately need help.

Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, Head of the UN disaster assessment team said: “There is a danger of focusing on Tacloban. We need to get it out to other parts of Leyte and Samar as soon as possible. And that’s what we are working on, yesterday, today, tomorrow, we’ll be here for some time to come.”

In Tacloban, hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced are struggling to cope with deteriorating conditions.

There have been frequent downpours and much of the aid has been stranded in the capital Manila.

One woman who survived the typhoon said: “We have no food, no water, no lights no fuel no, all all all.”

Black body bags line the streets. The city hall in Tacloban says at least 4000 are dead, nearly double the nationwide figure provided by the government.