Death toll in Typhoon Haiyan tops 5600 in the Philippines

The death toll in the world's most powerful typhoon to hit land rose to 5,632 as volunteers dug out more bodies buried in rubble in ravaged areas in the Philippines, the country's national relief agency said Saturday, according to dpa. At least 1,759 people remained missing and more than 26,000 injured when Typhoon Haiyan pummelled a large area of the eastern and central Philippines on November 8 with record winds of more than 300 kilometres per hour, the agency said. Some 3.88 million people were displaced by the bad weather, with damage to public infrastructure and agriculture estimated at 30.60 billion pesos (711.62 million dollars), it added. A spokeswoman for the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Manila said Friday the world body was seeking additional funds for the reconstruction of areas hit by Haiyan in the eastern and central Philippines. Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan has urged immediate interventions in the key areas of livelihood, employment, housing and public infrastructure restoration. Balisacan heads an interagency group that is coordinating government plans for typhoon victims.