Death toll of Typhoon Conson climbs to 53 in Philippines

The official death toll from Typhoon Conson rose to 53, mostly in the worst-hit Southern Tagalog region of north Philippines, National Disaster Coordinating Council said here Saturday.

Retired major general Benito Ramos, the NDCC executive officer and concurrent Office of Civil Defense administrator, said the number of missing had also increased to 85 and the number of injured so far recorded is 29.

The death toll is broken down into 27 in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces; 17 in Central Luzon; and nine in Region Bicol Region.

A total of 45,470 families or 225,495 persons were recorded to have been affected. Of the number, 1,096 families or 5,395 persons are housed in evacuation centers where they are served by concerned relief workers.

Initial estimate on the damage incurred by the agriculture and infrastructure sectors is now at 114.6 million pesos (2.48 million US dollars). The figure does not include the 25,477 houses destroyed or damaged by Conson.