Philippines Typhoon Haiyan: UN aid chief admits response has been too slow Valerie Amos, United Nations humanitarian aid chief, admitted basic relief has not been delivered quickly enough Survivors in devastated cities such as Tacloban are begging for food and water that is not getting through Fears of sickness and a higher death toll if aid, including medicines, does not reach them soon Thousands of bodies are buried in mass graves but equipment to move them and deliver food is urgently needed British public has donated £23million to Philippines appeal in just two days The United Nation's aid chief has admitted they have let survivors of the catastrophic Philippines typhoon down because the response has been too slow. Today, scores of decaying bodes were laid in mass graves as overwhelmed authorities grappled with the disposal of the dead, while the living begged for help after the Typhoon Haiyan disaster. Huge messages were scrawled on roads, roofs and remaining buildings pleading for clean water and food for the thousands stranded in Tacloban. Thousands of people trapped in the devastated city of Tacloban are in desperate need of food and water six days after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck Survivors have scrawled messages on buildings, roads and roofs pleading for help as the chief of humanitarian aid at the UN admits they have let people down A survivor holds up a sign begging for aid as he stands amid the wreckage of hundreds of destroyed homes in Tacloban, Leyte Province Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian aid chief, said relief to the worst affected areas has been far too slow Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian aid chief, said: 'I do feel we have let people down. Those who have been able to leave have done so. Many more are trying. People are extremely desperate for help. We need to get assistance to them now. They are already saying it has taken too long to arrive. Ensuring a faster delivery is our... immediate priority. The expected arrival today of the USS George Washington, a huge aircraft carrier with 5,000 sailors aboard, offered some hope for the hungry and thirsty in the ruined city. Almost a week after the typhoon swept through the country's central islands, witnesses say the stench of putrefying flesh hangs heavy in the air. Hundreds of bodies in Tacloban are being buried in mass graves. Policemen and volunteers carry a body bag for burial Tacloban's Mayor Romualdez said he is desperate to move the bodies from the streets because they are 'creating an atmosphere of fear and depression' The scale of the human tragedy is demonstrated by these Filipino firemen unloading lorry loads of bodies in the pouring rain The city of Tacloban has a dire shortage of heavy equipment such as lorries which are needed to move bodies and deliver food The bodies were piled on top of one another in deep pits as fire crews and authorities desperately try to clear the streets of people killed by the typhoon Some of the 200 corpses that had been lined up side-by-side at a local government building were placed at the bottom of a huge pit expected to be several layers deep by the time it is covered over with earth. There are still so many cadavers in so many areas. It's scary,' said Tacloban mayor Alfred Romualdez, adding that retrieval teams were struggling to cope. 'There would be a request from one community to collect five or 10 bodies and when we get there, there are 40,' Romualdez told AFP, saying that aid agencies' response to the increasingly desperate crisis had been too slow. The British public has donated £23million to an appeal for help by UK charities in just two days. Survivors of the devastating typhoon are having to cope with barely any supplies and men as young as this one have to pitch in moving bodies These men have the grim task of placing hundreds of bodies in this enormous mass grave Authorities in Tacloban said they urgently need logistical support because they cannot move bodies and the deliver food in the same trucks About 2,000 bodies have been collected so far in Tacloban but authorities say there are many more, although the original feared death toll of 10,000 is now believed to be too high Many bodies of people killed by Typhoon Haiyan are still unrecovered with more corpses lying in the streets The funds, made up of online, text and phone donations, will go directly to help some of the 11 million people affected by Typhoon Haiyan, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said. The money raised will be used to deliver food, water, household items and tarpaulin for shelter to people who have had their homes damaged or destroyed and are in desperate need of food, water and shelter. DEC said that the response was 'overwhelming'. Saleh Saeed, DEC chief executive, said: 'The public's reaction to the sheer devastation that has been left by Typhoon Haiyan is quite simply remarkable. We are so grateful for the huge amount of donations which are vital to fund the work done by our emergency teams. This has already become one of our most generously supported appeals but there is still a huge humanitarian need for help. Our priority is to provide food, water and shelter to those affected. Money raised will go directly to delivering these essentials and it's important we continue to provide this support.' A woman and her child are pulled out of the crowd to be prioritised on an evacuation flight in Tacloban Soldiers hold back people desperately trying to board an evacuation flight but thousands are still waiting at the airport without food or water This lucky boy and his family were given a seat on a plane out of Tacloban and will most likely to evacuated to the capital Manila But the majority of survivors are not so lucky. This woman is surrounded by her children and pleads with a soldier to be given a seat on the plane President Barack Obama has also urged Americans to dig deep for donations to their former Asian colony. US officials said relief channels were slowly opening up as the aircraft carrier leads a small armada of warships steaming towards the Philippines. But on the ground, aid is still not getting through to many of the hungry and thirsty battling to survive the aftermath. Efren Nagrama, area manager at the civil aviation authority, said conditions were 'very dire now'. You see hundreds coming to the compound every day. People who have walked for days without eating, only to arrive here and be made to wait for hours or days under the elements,' he said. People are pushed to the tipping point - they see relief planes but cannot get to the food nor get a ride out. There is chaos. HMS Illustrious is being sent to the Philippines to provide practical support Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is being sent to the Philippines to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan, David Cameron has announced. Speaking during a visit to India, the Prime Minister said that the ship will replace HMS Daring, which has already been deployed to the Philippines. Its helicopters may be used to assist with the distribution of food and water to survivors stranded in remote locations in the far eastern archipelago state, and its facilities to make water drinkable are likely to be in demand in a country where supplies have been badly disrupted by the typhoon. The Ministry of Defence said that Illustrious, which has been taking part in war-game operations, should arrive in the Philippines on November 24 or 25, with 900 crew and seven helicopters on board. Mr Cameron said: 'What happened in the Philippines is an absolute tragedy. You can see the devastation, the suffering, and it's quite clear that we are going to need long-term help for those people. As ever, the British people have been very generous with their donations. The British Government has already pledged over £20million, which makes us one of the most generous donors anywhere in the world. 'But it's practical action that's needed as well. That's why I sent HMS Daring to go and help in the Philippines and I can announce today that once Daring has started its work, we are actually going to be able to replace in time HMS Daring with HMS Illustrious, which is, of course, a carrier with helicopters - seven times as many helicopters as on HMS Daring and with the key ability to process fresh water, so we will be giving further assistance in the best way we can.' The MoD was unable to confirm the current location of Illustrious but the Royal Navy reported the warship was in Muscat, Oman, on November 12. HMS Illustrious, Britain's sole remaining aircraft carrier, will retire from active duty next year. Mayor Romualdez said the people of Tacloban needed an 'overwhelming response' from aid organisations and the government. 'We need more manpower and more equipment,' Romualdez pleaded. 'I cannot use a truck to collect cadavers in the morning and then use it to distribute relief goods in the afternoon,' he added. 'Let's get the bodies out of the streets. They are creating an atmosphere of fear and depression. City officials estimate that they have collected 2,000 bodies but insist many more need to be retrieved. The UN fears that 10,000 people may have died in Tacloban city alone, but President Benigno Aquino has described that figure as 'too much'. While the retrieval operation gets going, there are growing fears for the health of those who survived. Thousands of Tacloban residents queue up for flights by military C-130 planes out of the airport Starving Filipino typhoon victims grapple for biscuits being distributed by Air force officials in Tacloban Tens of millions of pounds worth of aid has been pledged by governments across the world but agencies are struggling to bring it to survivors Hundreds of people wait for evacuation by military ship in Tacloban city amid fears the death toll will rise as the worst-hit areas slowly become accessible The World Health Organisation has said there were significant injuries that need to be dealt with - open wounds that can easily become infected in the sweltering tropical heat. Experts warn that a reliable supply of clean drinking water is vital if survivors are not to fall victim to diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and death, especially in small children. Pledges of help continued to come in from abroad, with Obama on Wednesday urging Americans that 'even small contributions can make a big difference and help save lives'. Vital aid started to arrive in Tacloban today and US troops are pictured dropping relief supplies over the area Members of Hungary Emergency Response Team arrive at the airport to help survivors on Thursday Along with ships and planes sent by an array of countries including Australia, Britain and Japan, the United States has dispatched an advance force of Marines equipped with cargo planes and versatile Osprey aircraft. The USS George Washington, at the vanguard of a small flotilla, was expected to anchor off the Philippine coast Thursday, with hopes high that its 5,000 personnel would make headway in getting help to the thousands still in need. One US official said relief workers were now able to get more aid out of Tacloban airport, and that the opening of a land route had given a significant boost by connecting to a sea port. Hundreds of Philippine soldiers and police continue to patrol Tacloban's streets and man checkpoints to try to prevent pillaging after outbreaks of lawlessness. An aerial view of a demolished coastal town on Eastern Samar Island. Many remote areas are still inaccessible and it is uncertain how many people have been killed A man inspects the remains among debris left from Typhoon Haiyan in Ormoc City where hundreds of homes were blown to pieces