Typhoon survivors cheer on Pacquiao

Thousands of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan erupted into wild cheers Sunday to celebrate the victory of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, bringing back laughter and revelry briefly to a central Philippine region that was turned into a corpse-strewn wasteland by the powerful storm.

Pacquiao's triumph over American Brandon Rios in Macau served as a rallying point for many still-traumatized survivors, many of whom lost loved ones and their homes to the Nov. 8 typhoon, which killed more than 5,200 people and left 1,600 others missing. Haiyan also damaged or destroyed 1 million homes, displacing more than 3 million people.

Many jumped repeatedly in joy as they cheered on Pacquiao, who won by unanimous decision to take the WBO international welterweight title. (AP)