After 3 months, Yolanda death toll continues to rise

Almost three months after Typhoon Yolanda flattened towns and cities in the Visayas, bodies continue to be found in Tacloban City, the most affected area by the most devastating typhoon to hit the country.

A report by Mark Zambrano on “State of the Nation” Monday night said among the recent bodies found in Tacloban were those of a woman and a child.

The report said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has left behind body bags and face masks at barangay halls in Yolanda-affected areas for bodies found and reported by residents.

It added that the BFP expects an increase in the death toll as the clearing operation of the debris left behind by the disaster in the affected areas continues.



The report noted that as of February, the death toll in Tacloban from the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 2013 has reached 2,500.

Meanwhile, in its latest update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said as of January 29, the death toll from Yolanda has reached 6,201, while 28,626 were injured with 1,785 others still missing.

Yolanda affected 3,424,593 families or 16,078,181 people in 12,095 villages in 44 provinces, displacing 890,895 families or 4,095,280 people, the NDRRMC report said.
 
Of these, 20,924 families or 101,527 people were staying in 381 evacuation centers.

Mass grave

Meanwhile, a mass grave is still ongoing in Barangay Suhi in Tacloban City, the report said, noting that around 1,000 bodies have been buried there.

Earlier, the World Health Organization cautioned the country's Department of Health (DOH) against mass burials.
 
According to the WHO's "Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations" manual sent to the DOH, immediate mass burials without proper identification may violate some rights.
 
Unable to bear the stench and sight of unclaimed cadavers in the streets, and fearful of possible health hazards, local officials have begun burying them in mass graves. — Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News