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OTTAWA — A government source says elements of Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team are being sent to the Philippines in the wake of last week’s catastrophic typhoon.

The rapid-response team, known as DART, comprises 200 Canadian Forces personnel and was last deployed following the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010.

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The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the members of the team would be leaving at 5 p.m. ET from Canadian Forces Base Trenton, east of Toronto.

The federal government has already promised up to $5 million in aid money and has pledged to match donations from Canadians to relief organizations.

The true scale of devastation wrought Friday by typhoon Haiyan has yet to emerge, but some estimates put the death toll in the thousands, with hundreds of thousands badly affected.

The Philippine military has confirmed 942 dead, but shattered communications, transportation links and local governments suggest a final toll — which some say could reach 10,000 — remains days away.