Typhoon Haiyan deaths in Philippines pass 6,000

• Government says 6%2C009 now confirmed dead and 1%2C779 unaccounted for
• Haiyan is the deadliest natural disaster on record to hit Philippines
• The homes of 16 million were flattened or damaged by typhoon

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Officials say the death toll from Typhoon Haiyan that struck the central Philippines on Nov. 8 has breached 6,000 with nearly 1,800 people missing.

The government's disaster response agency said Friday that 6,009 have been confirmed dead while 1,779 others remain unaccounted for.

The typhoon is the deadliest natural disaster on record to hit the Philippines.

Maj. Reynaldo Balido, spokesman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, says at least 20 bodies are still being found daily under debris in the hardest hit city of Tacloban. Overnight, 27 deaths were added to the toll.

The homes of more than 16 million people were either flattened or damaged, and officials say rebuilding will take at least three years.