'UN backs Phl in responding to super typhoon'

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - The UN relief chief said Saturday that the world body was assisting the Philippines in its efforts to assess the situation in the wake of a super typhoon, which reportedly had left more than 150 killed in the Asian island country.

"The United Nations agencies in the Philippines, with their humanitarian partners, are supporting the government and other responders in their efforts to assess the situation and respond rapidly with vital supplies, through the coordination system led by the local authorities," Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said in a statement.

Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, is one of the strongest storms ever recorded, making landfall with sustained winds of 295 km per hour, placing it above the 252 kph threshold for a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

More than 150 people were reported killed and 100 others were injured in central Philippine city of Tacloban alone in the aftermath of super typhoon, Philippine disaster relief agency said early Sunday.

There were varying estimates of the number of people killed, including at least 1,200 according to the Philippines Red Cross, she said. "Sadly, it is likely that this figure will rise."

The Philippine government estimated that some 4.3 million people were affected, across 36 provinces, and initial assessments showed that thousands of homes had been destroyed, roads were impassable and people need food, water, shelter and power.

Amos said that she had deployed a large UN Disaster and Assessment Coordination (UNDAC) team, some of whom on Saturday arrived in Tacloban, one of the worst affected areas in Leyte province, where they were coordinating closely with the authorities.

"The United Nations remains on standby to mobilize any support that the people of the Philippines require from the international community," she said.