PNP data shows 74 dead, 55 missing due to ‘Ompong’

Updated (6:30 p.m.)

The number of people killed in the wake of Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut) climbed to 74 on Tuesday while 55 others remain missing, according to data released by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Public Information Office.

PNP’s numbers show that most of the casualties come from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), with 60 dead. This was followed by Region 2 (10), Region 3 (2), and Region 1 and National Capital Region (1 each).

Most of the missing persons were also from CAR (52). Region 1 has two missiong persons and NCR has one.

The PNP also said that 3,705 houses were destroyed in Region 1, 2,524 in CAR, 589 in Region 3, and 26 in NCR.

Landslides in Benguet due to rains and winds from Ompong, specifically in Baguio and Itogon, were the cause of most of the deaths in CAR.

READ: 64 dead, 45 missing in Luzon landslides

In a previous report, 64 were declared dead and around 40 to 50 individuals were unaccounted for after a landslide trapped people inside a makeshift chapel, which used to be a bunkhouse for miners of small-scale mining sites in the area.

Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said that around 11 bodies have been recovered as of now. He  added that the chances of rescuing survivors are slim.

READ: Hope fades for dozens trapped in Itogon landslides 

Meanwhile, the PNP reported that 6,999 police personnel were plucked from their mother units in different regional offices to assist in Ompong-affected areas, while 14,312 others are on standby.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that Ompong is the strongest typhoon to hit in the country this year. It made landfall in Baggao, Cagayan at 1:40 a.m. on Saturday. /ee

READ: ‘Ompong’ sustains 205-kph winds as it heads to northern Luzon