Over 1,000 bodies rotting in Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines - More than a thousand bodies recovered in Tacloban City in the wake of Super Typhoon Yolanda have been left to rot in the open as authorities await the process of identifying them before they are buried in a mass grave.

It could not be immediately ascertained if the bodies in Barangay Suhi have been included in the official fatality list of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) which, as of yesterday, totaled 6,111 from 6,109 last week.

“The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is on a holiday break in Tacloban, leaving more than a thousand unburied and decomposing bodies,” TV-5 said in a report yesterday.

The government, through the NDRRMC, has tasked the NBI to process all recovered cadavers in Tacloban for recording and identification purposes.

There were reports that the NBI will resume the processing after the holidays.

In the same report, TV-5 also said residents of Barangay Suhi and those living in nearby areas are complaining of the unpleasant smell emanating from the decomposing bodies.

The report triggered criticisms among concerned citizens, who said the unattended bodies are posing a health hazard to the storm survivors.

“It’s more than a month now. What’s the government doing with the huge local and foreign financial assistance provided to the storm devastated areas?” a resident said.

“Why are they doing this. Don’t they pity the victims? How about if they themselves are victims too?” a certain Marivic Cruz remarked in the TV-5 report.

The death toll left by Yolanda in Western Visayas has increased to 273, higher than the 250 fatality figure officially reported by the NDRRMC from the region.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Western Visayas also said 620,311 families or 2,842,361 people were affected by Yolanda.

“Estimated cost of damage to infrastructure, agriculture and fisheries has amounted to P13.4 billion. The number of casualties consist of 273 dead, 3,924 injured and 28 missing,” the OCD-6 report said.