Provincial disaster exec notes lower number of deaths in Samar
A general shot shows houses destroyed by the strong winds caused by Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City. AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Some of the victims from Supertyphoon Yolanda recovered in the province of Samar were actually from Tacloban City in Leyte, a Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) officer said Wednesday.
In an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Samar PDRRMC information officer Christine Caidic said that after clearing all the data they have gathered in terms of the number of casualties, it turned out that the total number of fatalities in their province was just 206, particularly from the municipalities of Basey, Marabut and Santa Rita.
In Basey, there are 185 fatalities, 20 in Marabut and one in Santa Rita, Caidic said.
Last week, the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Caidic as saying that in Basey alone, over 400 people died.
“Yung previous numbers that we have given to you on the fatality . . . it doesn’t mean that all the dead bodies belong to the municipals of Basey and Marabut,” she said, noting that some of the bodies from Tacloban City were discovered in their province.
She cited as example one Norma Sison which she said was actually from Samar, but had a business in Tacloban City. Her body was later found in Basey.
Two members of the Philippine Airforce based in Tacloban City were, meanwhile, rescued in Santa Rita.
“If you look at the map, Samar and Leyte are neighboring provinces connected by San Juanico Bridge. Right across Tacloban City is Basey and Marabut which is part of Samar. So, it is possible that some of the dead bodies from the Leyte provinces were washed away to the rivers, to the waters and to the shorelines of Samar province,” Caidic said.
For the full interview, listen to the attached audio clip from Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
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