Philippines launches relief caravan for typhoon-hit provinces

Dec 12, 2006, 5:57 GMT

Manila - The Philippine government on Tuesday dispatched a 248-truck relief caravan for eastern provinces devastated by two typhoons that left more than 1,400 people dead or missing.

The caravan is to bring relief goods to the Southern Luzon and Bicol regions, which have born the brunt of Typhoons Durian and Utor since late November.

'I want every Filipino family to know that their government is ready to serve them in times of extreme distress when food, clean water, warm clothing and shelter cannot be normally availed of,' President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said as she sent off the caravan.

The hardest-hit area is Albay province, where dozens of villages at the foot of the Mayon Volcano were buried in mudslides unleashed at the height of Durian's onslaught.

In Albay alone, 613 people were confirmed killed, while 710 others were missing and feared dead, the Civil Defence Office said.

Durian also killed 102 people in other provinces while 54 more were missing.

Typhoon Utor, which battered the nearby provinces of Leyte and Samar, including the resort island of Boracay, has left seven dead relief officials said.

Utor also caused the Philippines to cancel a high-profile meeting of Asian leaders in the central province of Cebu although sources said security and political concerns were behind the decision.