A PHILIPPINES-born Bolton nurse is desperate to hear her mother’s voice after her home city of Tacloban was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.

Maria Vimin Avila, who works at the Royal Bolton Hospital, has not slept since Friday’s disaster.

She has been told by a cousin who lives in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, that her parents and sister are safe.

But she has not been able to contact them as Tacloban’s phone and electricity supplies have been destroyed.

Maria, aged 43, from Leigh, still has no idea whether any members of her extended family or friends have been killed, and is worried her parents have no access to food.

The death toll rose to almost 2,500 yesterday and the disaster has affected about 11 million people according to the United Nations.

Typhoon Haiyan caused a five-metre high storm surge, which travelled at almost 235mph and flattened homes and businesses.

It far exceeded the predictions of experts in its ferocity.

Maria, who was due to visit Tacloban in December, said: “It took a while for it all to sink in. I was watching BBC News and my city was there, being destroyed.

“I think of my family, our house, the coconut trees round it, which have probably all been swept away.

“I just worry that my family are starving and have nowhere to go.

“Finally I managed to ring my cousin in Manila and words cannot describe how relieved I was when I heard my mum and dad were safe.

“Now, I just want to see them or even talk to them, but that does not seem possible.

“I want to hear my mother’s voice again, but who knows how long it will take for the airport to reopen.

“I was supposed to ring my mother the day before the storm, as I speak to her most days, but I did not as I took it for granted that I could do it another time.

“I’m still in shock at what has happened. I do not know about my other relatives, whether they are alive or not.

“I desperately want to fly out there immediately, or at least go with my sister, who should be going on November 22 if the airport opens.

“But I have a young son, I can’t just drop things just like that.”

Fellow nurse, Elmer Jimenez, aged 40, said: “It gets you when you see the children’s bodies, still in school uniform, floating in water and debris.

“I have never seen anything like this.

“Our people grow up knowing these things are possible but you can never imagine things will get this bad.”

Colleage, Merius Pagaduan McKeown, aged 42, added: “It makes you very nervous about going home, you think, ‘what if I was there when this happened’.”

The Royal Bolton Hospital currently employs 44 people, mostly nurses, who were born in the Phillipines.

Catherine Ventic, aged 45, Gina Mose, aged 47, and Gladys Ramos, aged 48, are also supporting Maria through this evolving tragedy.

The group met at the hospital as they originate from different parts of the Phillipines but many of them know people living somewhere within the vast area affected by the typhoon.

November is the worst month in the Phillipines for storms, with the rain season running from July.

Aid agencies are working round the clock to provide relief to people in Tacloban and in just 24 hours people from across the UK had donated £13 million to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Yesterday a chartered Boeing 777 carrying 8,836 shelter kits from UK Government stores in Dubai landed in the city of Cebu and was met by Department for International Development (DfID) humanitarian workers.

They will be delivered to charity World Vision for distribution in the worst-affected areas.

It is the first of several UK-funded humanitarian flights scheduled to fly from Dubai and the UK in the coming days as part of the UK's response to the disaster.

The Government has also committed £15 million in aid.

Maria added: “I am not very familiar with making appeals but if everyone could give something to help my country and family recover, I’d be so grateful.”

To help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee.