Death toll nears 1,000 after Tropical Storm Sendong hits the Philippines

Death toll nears 1,000 after Tropical Storm Sendong hits the Philippines

2011-12-20 10:30:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll after Tropical Storm Sendong hit the southeastern Philippines over the weekend has surpassed 950, emergency officials said on Tuesday morning. Dozens more remain missing.

Sendong made landfall over the northeastern region of Mindanao island on late Friday, causing heavy rains, flash floods and landslides. Most of the fatalities were reported in the Northern Mindanao Region, which rarely experiences tropical cyclones, although dozens were also killed in the nearby Visayas island group.

Benito Ramos, the Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said 957 people have been confirmed to have been killed as of Tuesday morning. He said at least 49 others remain missing and 1,582 people have been reported to be injured.

The vast majority of bodies were found in Cagayan de Oro, the capital city of Misamis Oriental province, where 579 fatalities were reported. At least 279 people were killed in Illigan City, a highly urbanized industrial city in Lanao del Norte province.

Senior Inspector Elmer Decena of the Northern Mindanao Regional Public Safety Battalion previously said authorities had to use rubber boats to rescue residents starting at 2 a.m. local time on Saturday, when the floods were at their worst. The floods were worsened by high tides.

According to authorities, people were warned about the risk of flash floods, especially in areas near rivers, but many refused to leave their homes and were sleeping when the disaster struck. The military has been assisting in search-and-rescue efforts and has flown helicopters to locate missing and trapped victims.

According to the NDRRMC, at least 338,415 people have been affected by the storm, although the actual number is likely to be far higher. The agency said 42,733 people were inside the 62 evacuation centers as of Tuesday morning, while 241,877 others are being assisted outside evacuation centers.

An initial damage assessment showed at least 10,345 houses were damaged as a result of the storm, including 3,127 houses which were completely destroyed or damaged so badly they are uninhabitable. Many schools and businesses have also been damaged while large areas remain without power.

Sendong, which is internationally known as 'Washi', was part of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season which runs throughout 2011, with most tropical cyclones forming between May and November. The storm has since dissipated after leaving the Philippines.

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