|
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Typhoon Frank casualties reach 540: agency
MANILA -- The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Saturday said the number of casualties from typhoon Frank (international codename: Fengshen) has increased to 540 persons on top of the over P7 billion in damages to properties.
Glenn Rabonza, NDCC executive officer and concurrent Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) administrator, said of the total number of deaths, 328 were identified while the rest are subject to identification process by concerned authorities.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
The number of affected population was pegged at 622,151 families or 3,137,557 persons from 4,456 barangays, 390 municipalities and cities, 46 provinces of 15 regions, said Rabonza.
Government and non-government organization (NGO) have so far extended a total of P37.3 million in assistance to the affected population.
Rabonza also said they have accounted at least 67,724 houses that have been destroyed and 178,098 that were damaged.
He said the initial cost of damage incurred as of Friday from the typhoon was pegged at P7.317 billion with the agriculture sector suffering the most with P5.21 billion in damages.
Typhoon Frank battered several regions in the Philippines last week.
At the height of the said typhoon, a vessel of Sulpicio Lines ran aground a few miles off Sibuyan island in Romblon. MV Princess of the Stars was traveling from Manila to Cebu City with more than 800 people on board when it capsized.
Hundreds of the passengers and crew of the ill-fated ferry are still missing, but rescue and retrieval operations were stopped Friday due to fear that divers may be exposed to toxic chemicals in the cargo hold.
On Saturday, Transportation Undersecretary Maria Elena Bautista said the divers will first determine whether the wreck of the ferry is stable before they cut a hole in the hull. That would allow them to pull out a 40-foot (12-meter) steel container with 22,000 pounds (10,000 kilograms) of the pesticide endosulfan.
The government learned about the cargo only after it was informed by Del Monte Philippines, which was to use endosulfan on its pineapple plantations in the south. Officials halted the retrieval operations Friday fearing for the safety of 103 divers, including eight US servicemen. (JMR/Sunnex/With AP)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (June 29, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Pacquiao wins 4th title