Typhoon Rai: Death toll reaches 208 in the Philippines, more than 50 still missing

After the powerful Typhoon Rai destroyed the central Philippines, the number of fatalities has increased to 208 as of Sunday night, with 52 individuals still missing and several injured. Many of the deaths were caused when individuals were hit by falling trees, collapsing buildings, and other debris, according to the Associated Press. As the super typhoon strengthened before landfall on Thursday afternoon, tens of thousands of citizens were relocated from their homes in the central and southern Philippines.  

The super typhoon Rai weakened significantly since colliding with Siargao island on Thursday, but it still delivered destructive and lethal winds of 195 kilometres per hour as well as torrential downpours. Rai, which drowned cities and towns, tore apart houses and shops, strewn the ground with broken power lines, shattered trees, and other wreckage, was dubbed "a terrible surprise for the Festive season" by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as per Accuweather. 

Philippines President pledges $40 million in fresh relief

Furthermore, in response to the disaster, Governor Arthur Yap of central Bohol province issued a statement on Facebook urging provincial mayors to spend more funds to quickly procure food packages and clean drinking water for those in need. Additionally, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte traveled to the typhoon-ravaged area and pledged $40 million in fresh relief, as per media reports.  

Yap also noted that "it is very clear" that the destruction sustained by the most popular tourist destination Bohol is "great and all-encompassing" following a combined military aerial assessment of typhoon-ravaged cities. Thousands of police officials, coast guards, as well as fire personnel were dispatched to aid with search and rescue operations in the most severely damaged districts. 

Typhoon Rai is a consequence of a freshly created tropical depression heading westwards across the western Pacific, according to the Relief Web. As it moved northwestward on December 15, the storm developed and became a typhoon. It hit Siargao, Dinagat, Mindanao, Bohol, and the riverfront town of Loboc on December 16, wreaking havoc on people and property. According to official numbers cited by the Associated Press, nearly 7,80,000 people were impacted which included over 3,00,000 civilians who were forced to flee their houses along the coasts prior to Typhoon Rai's landfall.  

(Image: AP)