'Ondoy' fatalities may have already exceeded 300

The number of fatalities from tropical storm “Ondoy" (international name Ketsana) that battered metropolitan Manila and some provinces in Calabarzon and Central Luzon may have already risen to over 300 as of Tuesday evening, based on data culled by GMANews.TV from various government sources. Region IV-A (Calabarzon) has the most number of fatalities with 155 or 140 in Rizal; 12 in Laguna; two in Cavite; and one in Batangas.

The National Capital Region followed with 124 or 54 in Marikina City; another 54 in Quezon City; seven in Taguig City; five in Pasig City; and four in Valenzuela City. GMANews.TV was not able to get information from Mandaluyong City and San Juan City where deaths were also recorded by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). In Muntinlupa, Mayor Aldrin San Pedro told GMANews.TV that there were no fatalities in his city, contradicting reports from the NDCC. Region III (Central Luzon) has 31 deaths so far, all in Bulacan. GMANews.TV was not able to obtain data from Pampanga where NDCC reported fatalities. GMANews.TV was not able to get information from the Cordillera Administrative Region, which is among areas with fatalities, according to the NDCC. Ondoy brought rains that weather specialists described as “anomalous." While it did not develop into a typhoon, Ondoy brought rains of 341 millimeters (mm) in the first six hours that it struck Metropolitan Manila on Saturday, breaking the highest 24-hour rainfall of 334 mm in Metropolitan Manila in June 1967. Ondoy has reached Vietnam killing at least 23 people as of Tuesday. - GMANews.TV