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Updated December 19th, 2021 at 12:01 IST

Typhoon Rai death toll reaches nearly 100 in the Philippines, several still missing

At least 7,80,000 people have been affected, including 3,00,00 who had to evacuate their homes along the coastal regions ahead of the landfall of Typhoon Rai.

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
Typhoon Rai
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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After at least 75 confirmed deaths in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, the death toll is feared to reach 100, Governor Arthur Yap of Bohol province informed through a Facebook post on early Sunday. While communication remains battered, 13 are reportedly injured and 10 others are feared to be missing. The storm ripped across the south and central regions of the archipelago toppling concrete power poles and flooding villages. 

Noting the atrocities, Guv. Yap in his statement posted on Facebook ordered provincial mayors to spend extra funding in order to rapidly secure food packages and fresh drinking water to deprived areas. Following a joint military aerial survey of typhoon-ravaged towns, he also added that "it is very clear" that the damage sustained by the most popular tourist destination Bohol is "great and all-encompassing."

However, the inspection did not include 4 towns, where Typhoon Rai rampaged on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday, the government reported 49 deaths taking the overall toll to 75, the Associated Press reported. Thousands of police, coast guard and fire personnel have been deployed to assist in search and rescue operations in the worst-affected areas.

IMAGE: AP

[Image: AP]

Over 7 lakh affected by Typhoon Rai

At least 7,80,000 people have been affected, including 3,00,00 who had to evacuate their homes along the coastal regions ahead of the landfall of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines, the Associated Press reported, citing official figures. As many as 39 of the total fatalities were reported by the disaster-response Agency and the national police. Officials on Dinagat Island, one among the first hit areas by Typhoon Rai, reported 10 separate deaths on Sunday, bringing the total tally around the island country to 98 so far.

Meanwhile, Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte flew to the typhoon-wrought region and promised a new aid worth $40 million.

IMAGE: AP

[Image: AP]

Typhoon Rai

As described by the Relief Web, Typhoon Rai is a result of the newly formed tropical depression moving westwards over the western Pacific. On December 15, the storm intensified and became a typhoon as it continued to travel northwestward. It made landfall on December 16, widely destructing life and property on Siargao, Dinagat, Mindanao, Bohol, and the riverside town of Loboc.

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 270 kilometres per hour. Floodwaters rushed rapidly into Bohol's riverside town, leaving residents trapped on roofs and trees. At least 227 towns and cities have a brownout and are in dire need of essential lifelines. The typhoon has also affected at least 73 seaports cancelling over 163 domestic and international flights.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)

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Published December 19th, 2021 at 12:01 IST

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