NZ offers Phl further help with emergency air transport

WELLINGTON (Xinhua) - A New Zealand air force transport aircraft will remain in the Philippines this week to continue helping with the relief efforts in the wake of typhoon " Haiyan" if needed by the Philippine government, the New Zealand government announced today.

The aircraft was the first Hercules C-130 to land at Ormoc after the typhoon struck last week and the crew unloaded the cargo of World Food Program stocks, and then transported 126 Filipino evacuees to the city of Cebu, New Zealand Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman said in a statement.

The aircraft had also delivered key emergency aid equipment and food to the battered city of Tacloban and the town of Guiuan, and evacuated a total of 237 survivors, said Coleman.

Around 30 tonnes of rice, tinned food, water, 1,285 tarpaulins, emergency shelters, field hospital equipment and toilets have been transported, while 1,000 kitchen sets from New Zealand-funded pre- positioned supplies were to be distributed via the Philippines Red Cross.

"The reported number of people affected is over 10 million, with 3.9 million displaced. It is important that New Zealand plays its part in the international relief," he said.