Shooting forces delay of Philippines mass burials: mayor

"We had finished digging the mass burial site. We had the truck loaded with bodies...but...there was some shooting....they could not proceed," Alfred Romualdez said.

Forensics officers "were with them. But on their way there, they were asked to go back by the security escorts," he said.

Follow the major developments of the Typhoon Haiyan aftermath with our Story Stream

"They were ordered to turn around by the (police)."

The delay is a further setback to authorities' efforts to remove the scores of bodies that still litter streets in the areas worst hit by the enormous storm last Friday.

Doctors are warning that in the tropical heat of the Philippines, the bodies will soon become a source of disease.

Correspondents in the area report the smell of corpses hanging in the air while an official said the recovery of bodies had stopped because they "ran out of bags".

FILIPINOS RUSH TO HELP TYPHOON SURVIVORS

Meanwhile, Filipinos abroad, who have spent harrowing days trying to contact loved ones after a typhoon devastated their homeland, are mobilising to send relief, despite misgivings about corrupt local officials pocketing aid on the ground.

With thousands feared dead and aid only trickling in after Super Typhoon Haiyan laid waste to entire coastal towns on Friday, many among the 10-million-strong nation are still frantically trying to find out if their relatives are alive and their homes still standing.

And from Asian capitals to the US and Europe, Filipino communities are taking to churches and social media sites to raise funds for communities left with nothing - and growing increasingly desperate.

SBS Radio's Filipino program will host a two-hour radiothon on Friday (November 15) to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines. The radiothon, airing in conjunction with the Australian Red Cross, will be broadcast on Friday from 10am to noon (AEST) on SBS Radio 2.

More information on how you can help can be found here.