‘Yolanda’ death toll now 5,500, says NDRRMC

Photo of the cadavers in body bags. Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Deaths from supertyphoon ‘‘Yolanda’’ (international name: ‘‘Haiyan’’), the strongest storm on record to make landfall, reached 5,500 on Wednesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

There were 26,136 persons injured while 1,757 were reported missing.

Updates on fatalities came in trickles as local officials have to submit official reports before they get added to the NDRRMC official count.

The agency also said close to 10 million people were affected by the typhoon. Of these, 3,542,370 persons were displaced.

The fury of the typhoon also damaged over one million houses. The total cost of damage remained at about P24 billion.

On Tuesday, NDRRMC Executive Director Eduardo del Rosario said that 12 banks already opened in Tacloban City. Gas stations and restaurants also started to open.

Public transportation has also returned.

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