TACLOBAN, Philippines — Workers in this typhoon-shattered city buried 100 of its thousands of dead in a hillside mass burial Thursday as desperately needed aid began to reach some of the half-million people displaced by the disaster. Dozens more bodies were lined up in bags outside Tacloban City Hall waiting to be taken to burial sites. Six days after Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, many of the dead were still lying along roads as survivors searched for bodies buried under the rubble. Philippine soldiers on trucks distributed rice and water as chainsaw-wielding teams cut debris from blocked roads. Thousands more swarmed the city's damaged airport, desperate to leave or to get treatment at a makeshift medical center. Authorities say 2,357 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, but that figure is expected to rise, perhaps significantly, when information is collected from other areas of the disaster zone. In the city's first mass burial, 100 bodies in leaking black bags were lowered into graves without any prayers being said. John Cajipe, 31, and three teenage boys who work at the local cemetery placed the first body in the grave's right hand corner. Sweat rolled down their faces in the blistering sun as they carried the body. The second body followed two minutes later, carefully placed alongside the first. And so on, until scores of bodies — all unidentifed — filled the grave. “I hope this is the last time I see something like this,” said Mayor Alfred Romualdez. “When I look at this it just reminds me of what has happened from the day the storm hit until today.” Officials said efforts had been made to identify the bodies so families have a chance of finding out what happened to their loved ones in the days and weeks to come. It was not immediately clear whether this included DNA testing. Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian chief who toured Tacloban on Wednesday, said some 11.5 million people have been affected by the typhoon, which includes people who lost their loved ones, were injured, and suffered damage to their homes, business or livelihoods. — AP
