MANILA: The death toll from Typhoon Phanfone’s battering of the Philippines on Christmas Day has risen to 28, and will likely climb further, authorities said yesterday.
The storm, with wind gusts of up to 200km per hour, swept across remote villages and popular tourist destinations in the central Philippines on Wednesday.
Authorities yesterday confirmed 28 people had died, up from 16 on Thursday, as information came in from badly hit areas where internet and mobile phone networks had been cut.
“The likelihood is present that the casualty count will still increase. We’re hoping against it,” national disaster agency spokesman Mark Timbal told AFP.
He said at least 12 people were still listed as missing.
Among those killed were several members of a family who drowned, a policeman electrocuted by a toppled post while patrolling and a man struck by a felled coconut tree.
The Philippines is a mostly Catholic nation, and Phanfone ruined or disrupted Christmas festivities for hundreds thousands of people.
The typhoon displaced tens of thousands living on the coast and low-lying areas who were forced to celebrate Christmas in evacuation centres.
Others missed family reunions, with plane and ferry services cancelled.
It also hit Boracay island, famed for its white sand beaches which draws more than a million tourists a year. – AFP
