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PHILIPPINE-TYPHOON
Philippine typhoon death toll rises to 47, 9 still missing
MANILA, Dec. 30, 2019 (BSS/Xinhua) – The official death toll from Typhoon
Phanfone has risen to 47 and is likely to keep rising as nine more persons
are reported missing, the government said on Monday.
In its updated report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) said the dead were recorded in four regions in the central
Philippines and the northeastern tip of Mindanao island in the southern
Philippines.
The disaster agency said 16 died in Iloilo, five in Capiz, five in Aklan,
one in Cebu, one in Southern Leyte, five in Leyte, one in Biliran, five in
Eastern Samar, one in Samar, five in Oriental Mindoro and two in Occidental
Mindoro provinces. At least 140 people were injured, it added.
Police and local officials said most of the deaths were due to drowning,
falling trees and accidental electrocution.
The agency said the typhoon caused over 1 billion pesos (roughly 19.7
million U.S. dollars) in damage.
Typhoon Phanfone, which made landfall on Tuesday afternoon in Eastern
Samar province, left a trail of destruction as it barrelled through towns and
villages across the central Philippines and parts of Mindanao.
The typhoon forced hundreds of thousands of villages to abandon
communities prone to flood and landslides, toppled trees and electrical
posts, and ripped off tin roofs before blowing into the South China Sea on
Saturday.
The NDRRMC said Phanfone affected over 1.7 million villagers in 6,510
villages in six regions. As of Sunday, the agency said 106,309 people are
housed in 635 temporary shelters.
A total of 372 schoolhouses, nearly 305 houses, 31 health facilities and
98 government offices were damaged by heavy rain and fierce winds, the agency
added.
The agency said the typhoon stranded people who were rushing home to spend
Christmas with their loved ones in the provinces as 54 roads and bridges were
affected, and forced the cancellations of 116 domestic and three
international flights. Sea travels were also halted.
Phanfone is the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. About 20
typhoons and tropical storms batter the Philippines each year. Aside from
typhoons, the archipelago of more than 100 million people has frequent
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world
mainly due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon
belt.
In 2013, the World Bank said Typhoon Haiyan resulted in the loss of 6,300
lives and caused an estimated 12.9 billion U.S. dollars in damages, or about
4.7 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product.
BSS/Xinhua/MSY/1128 hrs