Washington : US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and other US Navy ships to make best speed for the Philippines to aid disaster relief efforts there, the Pentagon said Monday.
Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines Friday and Saturday. An estimated 10,000 people in central Philippine province of Leyte might have been killed.
The aircraft carrier, which carries 5,000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft, is currently in Hong Kong for a port visit. The crew is being recalled early from shore leave and the ship is expected to be underway later Monday evening, reported Xinhua citing Pentagon Press Secretary George Little in a statement .
In company with the carrier will be the cruisers USS Antietam and USS Cowpens, and the destroyer USS Mustin. The supply ship USNS Charles Drew is already underway. USS Lassen got underway Sunday for the region.
