167 reported dead after ‘Agaton’ onslaught

MANILA, Philippines — The reported death toll in the wake of Tropical Storm Agaton (international name: Megi) has climbed to 167, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Saturday in a bulletin.

Of these fatalities, only 12 have been confirmed by the NDRRMC, while 155 remain “for validation.”

Most of the reported deaths came from Eastern Visayas, where landslides hit multiple villages in the province of Leyte.

There are also 110 people reported missing, with 104 of them coming from Eastern Visayas, while eight people were reported to have been hurt.

According to the NDRRMC, some 1.9 million people were affected by Agaton, the first tropical cyclone to enter the Philippines this year which dumped heavy rains for days, forcing over 30,000 into evacuation centers.

The disaster agency reported that Agaton also destroyed around P6.95 million worth of infrastructure, while it damaged P242.24 million worth of agriculture products.

A total of 64 cities and municipalities are still without power days after Agaton’s onslaught, while three cities and municipalities are still experiencing water interruption, the NDRRMC said.

Agaton struck at the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most important holidays in the mainly Catholic nation, when thousands travel to visit relatives.

It came four months after a super typhoon devastated swathes of the country, killing more than 400 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

The Philippines — ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change — is hit by an average of 20 storms every year. — Xave Gregorio with a report from AFP