Typhoon Rai death toll raises to almost 400, 83 still missing in the Philippines

Following the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Rai in the Philippines last week, the death toll has risen to 397 and 83 are still missing, according to the official figure released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council today.

Almost 561,500 people have been displaced and 1,147 individuals injured as rescuers from the ground, adding that over half of the displaced are housed in one of the 1,200 evacuation shelters, where it is anticipated that overcrowding would lead to Covid-19 outbreaks.

Rai, locally known as Odette, made landfall on December 16 with wind gusts of up to 240 kilometres per hour from east to west, affecting the lives of almost 4.2 million people, including their homes, infrastructure, and agricultural crops.

The Philippine government proclaimed a state of calamity in six districts devastated by the 15th typhoon of the year, which had caused damage to properties across the country worth 22 billion Philippine pesos (around US$437 million).

The Philippines, one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters, is struck by an average of 20 typhoons each year, and Super Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc on the Philippines, killing over 7,000 people in November 2013.

SOURCE: La Prensa Latina