The death toll from one of the strongest typhoons on record has risen above 5,000 in the Philippines and is likely to climb further.

The Philippine government has defended its efforts to deliver assistance to victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

Rescuers in the central Philippines counted at least 100 people dead and many more injured today, a day after one of the most powerful typhoons on record ripped through the region, wiping away buildings and levelling seaside homes with massive storm surges.

The body of Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was found and retrieved early today from the sea off a central province where his small plane had crashed three days earlier, officials said.