32 confirmed dead, 59 missing in Palawan's Mangsee Island due to Vinta

A total of 32 bodies have been recovered in search and retrieval operations in Mangsee Island in Balabac, Palawan, which was also devastated by tropical cyclone Vinta last week.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said 13 of the 32 confirmed fatalities have been identified by local authorities, but the names could not yet be released pending notification to the victims' families.

The PDRRMO also reported on Saturday that a total of 59 have been reported missing in the island due to Vinta.

Shiela Reyes of the Office of Civil Defense in Palawan said the number of missing people could still rise because other reports of missing persons have yet to be included in their official list.

The PDRRMO said a total of 165 people have been rescued by the search teams. It also repeorted that a total of 1,519 houses were damaged due to Vinta and 23 fishing boats remained missing.

It said that majority of the confirmed fatalities and the missing people are fishermen who were in the high seas off Mangsee Island when Vinta hit the province.

The southern part of Palawan has been placed under a state of calamity due to Vinta.

The National Risk Reduction and Management Council said in its report on Saturday that a total of 164 people have been reported killed and 163 more are missing due to Vinta. —report from Ruth Rodriguez/ALG, GMA News