After the massive Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013, the death toll in the typhoon-struck region has passed 6,000 and almost 1,800 people are missing. The country’s officials said that twenty seven bodies are unidentified and are the latest ones to be found under debris in areas hit by the typhoon, including the city of Tacloban.
The government agency said that the overnight tally reached the death toll of 6,009 and 1,779 people are left unaccounted for. The agency said that the typhoon is one of the deadliest natural disasters on record to strike the Philippines. Reynaldo Balido, the spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that between 20 to 30 bodies are still being found on a daily basis.
The spokesperson went on to say that identifying bodies in the advanced stage of decomposition and then matching them with the missing persons is a complicated process and one of the reasons why the number of missing persons is not changed.
The homes of over 16 million people are either flattened or damaged and the officials have said that the process of rebuilding houses will take at least three years. Corazon Soliman, the Social Welfare Secretary said that temporary and emergency shelters were being built and residents are being paid in cash in exchange for work.
Photo Credits: MB
