More than 300 people have lost their lives in the Philippines as Typhoon Rei destroyed homes, flooded cities, severely damaged power and telecommunications networks and forced hundreds of thousands of people in the central and southern regions of the country to flee their homes.
Military aircraft and naval vessels today ferried aid to areas affected by the hurricane, as the country faced the strongest of the weather events of its kind to hit the archipelago this year.
"We're still assessing the damage, but it's huge," Defense Minister Delphine Lorenzana told reporters today. "The first thing we are doing is addressing the issue of water and food supplies and medical treatment for the injured." He instructed the armed forces to transport humanitarian aid using all available means and to send more troops if necessary.
The death toll rose further today while rescue efforts continue in the affected areas.
As of 12:00 p.m. CY time, the death toll due to Rai had reached 375, police said in a statement, making it one of the deadliest typhoons to hit the Southeast Asian nation. The number of injured has risen to 500 while 56 people are missing.
The toll, which police say remains to be confirmed, far exceeds the 58 deaths recorded by the national disaster agency, which said it was still verifying reports received from affected areas.
Most of the deaths reported by police are in the central Visayas region, where Bohol province, one of the most popular tourist destinations, is located, as well as Karaga district in northeastern Mindanao.
Provincial governor Arthur Yap told CNN Philippines that he fears the death toll may rise further as the lack of telephone connectivity makes it difficult to gather information.
Because of Typhoon Rai, which hit the Philippines on Thursday, nearly 490,000 people were forced to flee their homes.
Source: AMP
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