New Delhi/Tacloban (Philippines), Nov 16 (IANS): A 13-member Indian crew on a C-130 Hercules aircraft flew into the heart of typhoon-battered Tacloban in the Philippines to deliver over 15 tonnes of relief material, authorities said Saturday.

"A 13-member crew flew in relief supplies from Delhi to Mactan base in the Philippines Friday morning. On the request from the Philippines disaster relief authorities to assist in ferrying the supplies to the affected area, our crew flew into the heart of the area and discharged the relief material at Tacloban itself, braving the difficult conditions at the airport," said a statement from India's ministry of external affairs.

The C130 Hercules aircraft delivered 15.4 tonnes of relief material at Tacloban, the epicentre of the zone of destruction caused by the recent super typhoon.

The plane has returned to India, the statement said.

The Indian consignment included supplies of tents, blankets and tarpaulin to provide shelter for a few hundred people, food in the form of ready-to-eat meals, biscuits and other items, and medical supplies and water purification chemicals for over 500 people for a week.

The typhoon Haiyan, called Yolanda in the Philippines, has caused over 3,000 deaths so far. Many more have been left homeless and without livelihood in a wide swathe of destruction in the area.