NDRRMC: Death toll from Yolanda rises to 1,833

The death toll from Typhoon Yolanda rose to 1,833 as of Wednesday morning, disaster management officials said, hours after President Benigno Aquino said the killer cyclone could have left 2,000 or 2,500 people dead, contrary to the 10,000 previously estimated.

It its 7 a.m. update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also said 2,623 injured and 84 missing.

On Tuesday, Aquino told CNN that fatalities from Yolanda could be closer to 2,000 or 2,500, and not 10,000. 

"Ten thousand, I think, is too much," Aquino told CNN in an interview. "There was emotional drama involved with that particular estimate."

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC said Yolanda had affected 1,387,446 families or 6,937,229 people in 7,488 villages in 41 provinces.

Of these, 59,733 families or 286,433 people are in 993 evacuation centers.

At least two roads in Western and Eastern Visayas remain impassable.

The NDRRMC also said some P38,815,888.21 worth of relief assistance had been provided to affected families.

On the other hand, civil aviation authorities on Wednesday reiterated that airports in affected areas are operational, but limited in Tacloban City.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) also said Guiuan and Ormoc airports are open for general aviation flights.

But it clarified there may not be commercial flights to Guiuan yet, and that "only private chartered flights (are) allowed for relief operations" for now, nearly a week after Yolanda devastated Visayas and Southern Luzon.

It added Tacloban's airport is "limited to military, commercial and medevac (medical evacuation) flights."

"General Aviation flights should seek approval from the NDRRMC and the Tacloban military commander," it added.

"As of 13 November 2013, all airports under CAAP control are now operational. To date, operations in Tacloban Airport are still limited," the NDRRMC's 7 a.m. update added. — LBG, GMA News