Death toll from Typhoon Molave in Philippines climbs to 16

Flood-affected residents sit underneath a shed after Typhoon Molave hit the town of Pola, Oriental Mindoro province, on Oct 26, 2020. - AFP

MANILA (Xinhua): The death toll from Typhoon Molave in the Philippines has risen to 16, the government disaster agency said on Thursday (Oct 29).

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in a report that 22 people were also injured and four were still missing after the typhoon lashed the Philippines from Sunday to Tuesday, displacing over 242,000 people in over 1,000 villages in the main island of Luzon and the central Philippines, and flooding villages before blowing out of the archipelago.

Over 65,000 of the displaced people were staying in 916 evacuation centres, the NDRRMC added.

Strong winds and rains from Typhoon Molave have left extensive damage on crops and infrastructure, the agency said, adding the typhoon also triggered 63 flooding and 22 landslides.

The agency said the typhoon also damaged at least 105 roads and 22 bridges, and stranded passengers, rolling cargoes, vessels and vehicles in the affected regions.

The damage to agriculture and infrastructure is estimated at over 737 million pesos (roughly US$15 million).

Typhoon Molave slammed into the country's eastern coast on Sunday night, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that toppled trees, power lines and caused massive flooding in the Philippines.

Molave, which already left the Philippines on Tuesday morning, is the 17th tropical cyclone battering the Southeast Asian country this year.

About 20 typhoons and tropical storms pummel the Philippines each year.