10,000 feared dead in Leyte due to 'Yolanda' but official death toll at 151

By: Agence France-Presse | Philippines News Agency
November 10, 2013 9:42 AM

Yolanda levels Tacloban, aerial view, 8 November 2013. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

TACLOBAN CITY – (UPDATE, 10:20 a.m.) A regional police chief on Sunday said super typhoon Yolanda is believed to have killed 10,000 people in Leyte, but official death toll by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has been placed at 151.
"We had a meeting last night with the governor and based on the government's estimates, initially there are 10,000 casualties (dead)," Chief Supt Elmer Soria told reporters in Tacloban, the devastated capital of Leyte province.
Soria was referring to a meeting with the governor of Leyte.
NDRRMC spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido also said at least five people were reported missing in the wake of the typhoon, dubbed as the world’s strongest for the year.
"Many of the additional fatalities came from Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas," he said.
Balido also noted many more could be missing but not yet reported as communication lines were still down in the affected provinces.
Yolanda on Friday ripped through parts of the country on Friday before leaving the Philippines on Saturday.
The NDRRMC's 6:00 a.m. update said that aside from the 151 dead and five missing, 23 were injured.
Almost a million families affected
It added "Yolanda" had affected 982,252 families or 4,459,468 people in 1,741 villages in 343 towns and 39 cities in 36 provinces. A total of 86,513 families or 403,503 people are staying in 1,425 evacuation centers.
The report said 2,071 houses were destroyed while 1,409 were damaged.
It added 18 roads and one bridge were affected in Southern Luzon, Bicol and Eastern Visayas.
Damage was estimated at P7,215,831.75, including P4.88 million in infrastructure and P2,335,831.75 in agriculture.
Power and communication restoration work is still ongoing in parts of Southern Luzon, Bicol, Visayas, and Caraga region.

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