THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Friday that the death toll from Tropical Storm Agaton that triggered landslides and severe flooding in parts of the Philippines rose to 137.
Some 56 more people were reported to have died from the storm in Eastern Visayas as the number of fatalities in the region stood at 128.
In Western Visayas, 5 more people were also killed by the storm, raising its tally to 6, the agency added. At least 3 people were earlier reported dead in Davao Region.
According to the latest report from the NDRRMC, 28 people were still missing while 8 others were injured.
The tropical cyclone, with international name Megi, dumped heavy rains early this week, causing flooding and landslides in mountainous villages in the Visayas and Mindanao.
NDRRMC’s count is lower than the tally of wire agency Agence France-Presse, which put the death toll at 148 as of April 14. The state disaster response agency had said the figures were still under validation.
Agaton has displaced more than 323,000 people, as over 9,000 houses were damaged while 570 others were destroyed, the NDRRMC said in its 8 a.m. report.
Some 65,000 families were still in evacuation centers, while over 88,000 others were staying with relatives or friends.
Damage to infrastructure was estimated at P6.9 million while crop losses was pegged at P186 million, the agency added.
