Manila, May 10: The death toll from tropical storm ‘Bebeng’ in the Philippines has hit 13 after rescuers found a teenager’s body in the eastern town of Libon.
“Our target was zero casualty but we did not meet our target but the 13 (fatalities) is still small compared to the previous tropical storms,” Xinhua quoted Josefina Timoteo, the Camp Aguinaldo-based Office of the Civil Defense operations chief, as saying on Monday.
“We hope that this is the final count (of fatalities)…Hopefully and God’s willing, this will be the final count,” Timoteo added.
The storm toppled electricity poles, uprooted trees and triggered massive power outages in eastern and central Philippines as well as some parts of the capital Manila.
More than 100,000 people were displaced because of floods and landslides triggered by the devastating storm.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council warned residents of low-lying and landslide prone areas to permanently relocate as the rainy season is expected to arrive this month.
Several roads became impassable following the floods and landslides. This is the second storm battering the Asian country this year.
Around 21,413 families or 111,938 individuals, mostly from the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, have been affected by the tropical storm, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
——–Agencies