NDRRMC : Yolanda deaths climb to 5,759

MANILA, Philippines - The death toll from super typhoon Yolanda has climbed to 5,759 as more bodies were retrieved from the rubble, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Thursday.

In its latest update, the NDRRMC said the number of injured is still pegged at 26,233 while the missing persons remained at 1,779.

The number of families affected by Yolanda also ballooned to over two million or more than 11 million individuals, the state disaster response agency said.

Of the total affected, more than four million persons were displaced in 44 provinces in 589 municipalities and 57 cities of regions 4-A-, 4-B, 5, ,6 , 7, 8, 10, 11, and Caraga, the NDRRMC added.

Almost 97,000 individuals are now temporarily being sheltered in 410 evacuation centers as more than a million houses have been destroyed by the powerful storm, the NDRRMC said.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC said the total cost of damage has ballooned to P35.2 billion, with P18.2 billion in infrastructure and over P17 billion in agriculture.

The cost of aid poured in by the national government, local government units, and other private institutions in affected areas has already reached P946.2 million, the NDRRMC said.