'Yolanda' death toll in Iloilo, Palawan provinces pegged at 8

MANILA, Philippines - Eight people have been reported dead in the provinces of Iloilo and Palawan due to Typhoon "Yolanda," local officials said Saturday.

Samuel Madamba, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Coron, Palawan, identified three fatalities as Nick Rojas, Erwin Roque and Carlos Catamore.

Reports said that the three victims were fishermen, who refused to evacuate and leave their homes along a coastal village of Coron.

Lowell Estepa of the office of the municipal mayor said two more persons have been reported killed in their area, but the bodies have yet to be recovered.

Catamora said more than 6,000 people were affected by the super typhoon in Coron alone.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr., meanwhile, reported that three more persons have also been confirmed killed in the province.

Defensor added that a total of 5,436 people were also affected by the typhoon in the province.

He appealed for help from the national government for people devastated by the typhoon.