A TEAM of British medical experts and the first consignment of UK aid are about to leave for the disaster-hit Philippines as it emerged that an estimated 40 per cent of the victims are children.
A man looks desolately at the carnage left by Typhoon Haiyan [EPA]
Twelve paramedics and surgeons are set to leave for the worst hit areas as the massive clean up operation gets underway.
Prime Minster David Cameron has pledged to send a warship and £10million in aid to help the tens of thousands left without food or shelter.
HMS Daring and her crew will provide humanitarian assistance and fresh drinking water, as well as helicopter flights with the ship's onboard Lynx.
The super-storm hit the east coast of the Philippines on Friday, with winds of 147mph battering the country causing roads, buildings, trees and powerlines to come crashing down.
The death toll is estimated at around 10,000 but it is thought the grim tally will rise. More than nine million people have been affected across a large swath of the country, many of them made homeless.
Scenes of destruction in the city of Tacloban [EPA]Bodies litter the street, many, many of which are childrenLynette Lim, Save The Children
Lynette Lim, of Save The Children, has seen the carnage first-hand: "We are witnessing the complete devastation of a city. In Tacloban everything is flattened. Bodies litter the street, many, many of which are children."
"From what I saw, two out of every five bodies was that of a child."
"Children are particularly vulnerable in disasters. We fear for how many children have been washed away in floods, crushed under falling buildings and injured by flying debris. Many are separated from their families amid the devastation, and all are in desperate need of food, water and shelter."
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which includes the British Red Cross and Oxfam has launched an appeal to raise further funds to help the Filipino people.
The committee is a co-operative of 14 leading UK charities and has previously raised more than £1.1billion in response to humanitarian crises.
Red Cross workers prepare supplies to be sent to the Philippines [SWNS]
Children beg on the streets of the devastated town of Cebu [EPA]
Tim Harding, from Sunderland, is one of many foreigners volunteering at a Red Cross Centre in Manila. He had originally planned to have a holiday with his wife, who is originally from the Philippines, but ended up pitching in with the relief effort.
"There's a lot of panic going on here," he said. "Although we just got some good news a few minutes ago that a three-year-old child had actually been rescued in the debris at a place in Tacloban city. There was a big cheer that went up."
"It's good to see everyone getting on, doing a job where race, nationality, income level, nothing matters at all.
"There's only one priority here and that's to get together, get stuck in and do the greater good."
"There's a lot of panic going on here," he said. "Although we just got some good news a few minutes ago that a three-year-old child had actually been rescued in the debris at a place in Tacloban city. There was a big cheer that went up."
"It's good to see everyone getting on, doing a job where race, nationality, income level, nothing matters at all.
"There's only one priority here and that's to get together, get stuck in and do the greater good."
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: "The scenes of utter devastation in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan are shocking in their scale and we know that the survivors, especially vulnerable children and women, now face a grim and uncertain future."
"Britain is determined to stand by the Philippines and we have now pledged a total of £10 million to get 800,000 people the food, water and shelter they urgently need."
"Britain is determined to stand by the Philippines and we have now pledged a total of £10 million to get 800,000 people the food, water and shelter they urgently need."
The bodies of victims are lined up among the debris [REUTERS]
The HMS Daring will set sail for the Philippines shortly [PA]
Senior Conservative peer Lord Cormack suggested that the Government should have a larger contingency fund to deal with such disasters.
"After Haiti, the tsunami and now this devastating and appalling catastrophe, is there not a case for the Government having a larger contingency fund within the aid budget?" he said.
"Some of us are a little concerned that nations which have space programmes are helped and nations that have regimes which are not beyond the accusation of corruption are helped."
Visit the DEC website at http://www.dec.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900 to donate to their appeal.
"After Haiti, the tsunami and now this devastating and appalling catastrophe, is there not a case for the Government having a larger contingency fund within the aid budget?" he said.
"Some of us are a little concerned that nations which have space programmes are helped and nations that have regimes which are not beyond the accusation of corruption are helped."
Visit the DEC website at http://www.dec.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900 to donate to their appeal.
A map showing the areas hit hardest by the typhoon [PA]
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