‘Yolanda’ death toll now at 5,786

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Nearly a month after it pummelled central Philippines, deaths from Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan) rose to 5,786 on Friday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported.

There were 1,799 persons who remained missing.

Local chief executives and health officers must first submit an official record before the number of fatalities could be added to the NDRRMC list. This caused a slower death count.

There were 27 new fatalities added from Thursday’s count. In total, there are about 7,500 dead or missing from the supertyphoon, the strongest in world record to hit land.

On Thursday, NDRRMC Eduardio del Rosario dared his critics to show proof that they are suppressing information on the death toll in order to avoid putting Malacañang in a bad light.

In the immediate aftermath of Yolanda, President Benigno Aquino III downplayed in a CNN interview the estimated 10,000 deaths by a regional police officer.

Del Rosario threatened to resign if it could be proven that the agency is limiting the death toll.

There were 11 million affected from Yolanda, with four million of which were displaced in shelters.

Over a million houses were also left destroyed.

Damage to infrastructure and agriculture also rose to P35.2billion—P18 billion to infrastructure and P17 billion to agriculture.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, del Rosario and other officials completed a two-day visit in other Yolanda-affected areas, including Palawan and Panay Island, early this week.