Typhoon Haiyan: UK Government Pledges Extra £30m Aid for Philippines

The UK government has pledged to donate an extra £30m to assist relief efforts in the Philippines in the aftermath of the deadly Typhoon Haiyan, which has now claimed almost 4,000 lives.

Prime Minister David Cameron said that although the UK has already promised £23m in emergency aid, the extra funds were needed as the scale of the disaster was clear from the "appalling scenes of mass destruction".

The UK's extra financial commitment takes the total British government contribution to disaster relief efforts to £50m.

Speaking at a news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Sri Lanka, Cameron said: "Today I can announce we are providing another £30m 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.

"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."

Cameron said the UK has taken the lead in the international relief efforts with its quick response in sending aircraft, warships and equipment, and he praised the help given by the British public, which has donated £30m to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal in the UK.

A Royal Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, which left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning, arrived in the Philippines on Saturday, carrying a shipment of aid relief.

The cargo of the No 99 Squadron-operated aircraft included medical supplies, two Land Rovers, two JCB diggers and a forklift truck.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Daring was sent to the Philippines from Singapore and is surveying the damage around the northeast coast of Panay Island.

A team of 12 medical experts from the UK, which was requested by the Philippines Department of Health, has also arrived in the capital Manila.

Authorities in the Philippines have put the official death toll at 3,633, with 1,179 people missing. Some 12,500 people have been injured by Typhoon Haiyan and a further 600,000 displaced.