‘Odette’ death toll rises to 367
MANILA, Philippines — The number of people who died due to Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) has risen to 367 as of Christmas Day, the Philippines’ disaster agency reported.
Of this number, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said only 44 so far have been confirmed, while 323 are up for validation.
The NDRRMC also said that of the casualties, 237 are still unidentified, 78 are male and 52 are female.
More people have also been reported missing, with the number climbing up to 62 from 58 on Christmas Eve.
Meanwhile, the disaster agency said there are 732 people who were injured in the onslaught of Odette, considered to be the strongest typhoon that hit the Philippines this year.
The NDRRMC said the typhoon affected 918,877 families or over 3.56 million people across 11 regions in the Visayas and Mindanao.
It also estimated that infrastructure took almost P4 billion worth in damage from the typhoon, while agriculture losses amounted to P2 billion.
President Rodrigo Duterte has apologized for the delay in the government’s response in areas struck by the typhoon, but vowed that aid is on the way.
Duterte committed P10 billion in aid for Odette victims, but the budget department has so far only released P1 billion to local governments affected by the typhoon. — Xave Gregorio
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