Philippine Typhoon Bopha death toll passes 300
8 December Daily Mail
More than 300 people have died and hundreds more are missing in the
wake of Typhoon Bopha, which cut a swathe of devastation across the
southern Philippines.
The Civil Defence Office said at least 325 people were confirmed dead
and another 379 missing.People were killed in eight provinces but
eastern Mindanao was worst hit.In Compostela Valley province alone at
least 184 people died, many when flash floods hit emergency shelters.
"We have 325 dead and this is expected to rise because many more are
missing," civil defence chief Benito Ramos told a news conference early
on Thursday.ÓCommunications are bogged down, there is no electricity,
roads and bridges have been destroyed," he said. "We're still on a
search and rescue mode."
The storm struck Mindanao island on Tuesday, bringing very high winds
and heavy rain. Roofs were blown off houses and the rain led to both
landslides and flooding.
Tens of thousands of people were moved to shelters ahead of the
typhoon, but in one town in Compostela Valley the shelters themselves
were swept away by flash floods.
"According to [survivors], there is a small lake on the mountain that
gave way so the waters flowed down, not just along the rivers... but all
across, like a waterfall, bringing a slurry that covered the whole
town," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said.
Rescue teams are still working to reach communities in some isolated
areas.One injured man was found alive in a river in New Bataan on
Thursday morning.
Carlos Agang said he had been swept away when flash floods hit his
home, ending up pinned down by boulders and debris downstream. He said
he did not know where his wife and children were.ÓI was shouting for
help all the time, but no one came. I don't know what happened to [my
family]. Perhaps they are all dead," Mr Agang told AFP news agency.
The typhoon came almost a year after Typhoon Washi struck northern
Mindanao with devastating consequences. More than 1,300 people died when
that storm struck, as rivers burst their banks and swamped communities.
The UN said that improved early warning systems had saved lives this
time.But President Benigno Aquino said more needed to be done.ÓAny
single casualty is a cause for distress. Our aim must always be about
finding ways to lessen them," he said.The typhoon is now moving past the
Philippines into the South China Sea.
The US has offered help to both the Philippines and Palau, which was
also hit by the storm earlier in the week.ÓOur embassies in Manila and
Koror have offered immediate disaster relief assistance, and we are
working closely with authorities in both countries to offer additional
assistance as needed," deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner said
in a statement.
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