Typhoon death toll hits 389 in the Philippines, with 64 still missing (update)

Children display signage with Christmas greetings as they ask for alms along a highway in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte province on December 25, 2021, more than a week after Super Typhoon Rai devastated the province. - AFP

MANILA, Dec 27 (dpa): The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has risen to 389, with 64 still missing, the national disaster agency said on Monday.

More than 4 million people in central and southern provinces were affected by Typhoon Rai, including 570,906 who were displaced, the agency said.

Rai also destroyed and damaged over 22 billion pesos (441 million dollars) worth of private and public infrastructure as well as agricultural crops, it added.

Rai slammed into the country’s east coast on December 16, flattening houses, damaging buildings and public infrastructure, uprooting trees, and causing floods and landslides.

Power and communication lines were also knocked out in the most affected areas, and many areas were expected to only get electricity in January.

One of the hard-hit areas was the central province of Bohol, which reported 109 deaths as of Monday. The nearby province of Cebu reported at least 96 deaths.

Emergency teams and humanitarian workers have likened the damage brought about by Rai to Haiyan, the strongest typhoon to ever hit the Philippines.

Haiyan killed 6,300 and displaced more than 4 million people in November 2013.

The Philippine archipelago is hit by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year. - dpa