Typhoon Haiyan: Moment of joy as baby born in devastated airport as aftermath reaches ‘bedlam’

Amid the widespread devastation, tangled debris and human loss caused by Typhoon Haiyan, a brief moment of joy was afforded to one family who welcomed a newborn baby girl in the chaos of a destroyed airport in the Philippines.

Emily Ortega, 21, went into labour in the city of Tacloban, successfully delivering a healthy daughter, Bea Joy Sagales, with the help of a military doctor.

Cheers broke out as little Bea arrived just a few days after the most powerful and ferocious storm to have ever hit the Philippines left tens of thousands of people dead.

Survivors are now said to be begging for help and scavenging for food, water and medicine (Picture: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

The baby is nothing short of a miracle for Ms Ortega, who had to cling to a post as Haiyan swept through Tacloban with winds of 170mph, before she found safety in the airport.

View the whole gallery: Super typhoon Haiyan aftermath

More than 10,000 people are feared dead in Tacloban city alone – the capital of Leyte Island which experienced the raging storm at its height.

Cargo ships washed ashore in worst-hit Tacloban city (Picture: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

Thousands more are missing and homeless after their homes and businesses were flattened and washed away, after Typhoon Haiyan smacked into six Philippine islands on Friday.

Speaking to the BBC, Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross said: ‘There’s an awful lot of casualties, a lot of people dead all over the place, a lot of destruction.

US marines secure gear onto a pallet during preparations for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines (Picture: Reuters/Lance Cpl. David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps)

‘It’s absolute bedlam right now, but hopefully it will turn out better as more and more supplies get into the area.’

Aid workers’ progress has been hampered by blocked roads and the damage to infrastructure, as they desperately try to provide food, medical supplies and tents to families that have lost everything.

Typhoon Haiyan also battered a town in the Samar province (Picture: Erik De Castro/Reuters)

One medical student described survivors as ‘zombies,’ who in desperation for sustenance are reportedly looting stores amid apocalyptic scenes.

‘Everything is gone. Our house is like a skeleton and we are running out of food and water. We are looking for food everywhere,’ said Jenny Chu.

Survivors are now picking through what is left of their belongings as they count the cost of the storm (Picture: AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

‘People are walking like zombies looking for food. It’s like a movie.’

Philippine president Benigno Aquino III has sent in extra troops to deal with law and order in the worst hit areas, but said he was also considering declaring a state of emergency or even martial law in Tacloban.

This could include curfews, price controls, food rationing and increased police patrolling.

Source: http://metro.co.uk