A resident passes by dead bodies that lie on the street after powerful Typhoon Haiyan slammed into Tacloban city, Leyte province central Philippines on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013. AP
MANILA, Philippines – Deaths from the monster typhoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan) have reached over 900 in the Visayas region, the military said on Monday.
Lieutenant Jim Alagao, spokesperson of the Armed Forces Central Command, said that as of midday Monday, there were 942 killed from the typhoon.
In Western Visayas, there were 39 reported deaths. Central Visayas, meanwhile, listed 59 dead.
Eastern Visayas, which was smashed by Yolanda, has so far claimed 844 lives, Alagao said.
Yolanda struck Philippines Friday with its powerful winds and torrential rainfall, flattening many areas in central Visayas.
Official death toll from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed that 255 were killed from the typhoon as of Monday morning.
There were 10 million people affected in southern Luzon, Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao region and Caraga.
Over half a million, or 615,774 persons were brought to temporary shelters based on NDRRMC records.
Damage to property and agriculture was at P296 million.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed a team of military engineers and a battalion of Army Special Forces soldiers to assist humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations in Tacloban City.
The soldiers from the 525th Engineering Combat Battalion and Army’s First Special Forces Battalion left Villamor Air Base in Pasay in the morning.
They will also assist the Philippine National Police and Department of the Interior and Local Government teams in the efforts of restoring peace and order amid reports of widespread looting in Tacloban and other badly-hit areas.
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