‘Emong’ death toll now at 47 - NDCC

MANILA, Philippines - The death toll from tropical cyclone "Emong" continued to rise, reaching 47 as of Monday night, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said. In its report dated 6 p.m. Monday, NDCC said the 47 include 25 in Pangasinan, 16 in Ifugao, three in La Union, and one each in Nueva Vizcaya, Bataan and Zambales. At least 42 were reported injured, including 25 in Pangasinan and 15 in Ifugao. At least 15 remained missing, including nine in Cagayan and five in Pangasinan. The NDCC said 34,626 families or 161,020 people in 406 villages in 52 towns and six cities in 11 provinces were affected. Of these, 832 families or 4,178 people are in 10 evacuation centers. Some 6,084 houses were destroyed while another 17,242 were damaged. Damage to property was estimated at P634.430 million, including P604.216 million in damage to agriculture and P30.214 million in damage to infrastructure. Major roads and bridges along Maharlika Highway from Aparri, Cagayan to Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya were passable except for some overflow bridges in Isabela province. Some roads and bridges in Abra, Mt. Province, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya were still closed to traffic. Power was still being restored in La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela, Cagayan, Benguet, Kalinga, and Apayao. - GMANews.TV