Manila: The death toll from the powerful typhoon Rai that lashed the Philippines last week has spiked to 375, a police report said, adding that 56 people were still unaccounted for.
“The increase of casualties is subject to validation from the affected regions,” Xinhua news agency quoted the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) latest report as saying.
The report said deaths caused by the 15th and the most destructive typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian country this year occurred in Central Visayas and the Caraga region in the north-eastern Mindanao island.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 58 deaths on Monday while only four of the victims have been confirmed. The agency also reported that 18 people were still missing.
Bohol, one of the hardest-hit areas in the central Philippines by typhoon Rai, has confirmed 94 deaths on Monday, according to Bohol Governor Arthur Yap, and at least 18 more were missing.
The country’s disaster-response agency said the typhoon has affected close to 1 million people and displaced 442,424 residents.
It said the initial estimate of damage to agriculture is 118.28 million pesos ($2 million) and 225.17 million pesos ($4 million) to infrastructure.
On December 16, the typhoon first slammed into Siargao Island off the eastern coast on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.