Typhoon 'Frank' toll: 540 dead, 291 hurt, 277 missing

MANILA, Philippines - The death toll from typhoon "Frank" continued to rise and went up to 540 as of Friday evening, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported. In its report dated 6 p.m., the NDCC said the 540 fatalities from "Frank" included 328 who had been identified and 212 recovered bodies. At least 291 were reported injured while 277 remained missing in the report that covered Ilocos, Central and Southern Luzon, Bicol, Western, Central and Eastern Visayas, Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Caraga regions. NDCC also said the typhoon affected 571,641 families or 2,875,725 persons in 3,908 villages in 379 towns and cities in 46 provinces of 15 regions. Of these, some 422,618 families or 2,215,529 persons had been served inside and outside evacuation centers. The NDCC reported that at least 65,413 houses were destroyed and 167,181 damaged. Estimated cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture amounted to P6.979 billion, including P1.494 billion for roads and bridges, P551.579 million for schools, and P4.923 billion for agriculture. In its 7 a.m. report on Friday, the NDCC said that there were 505 deaths, 289 hurt and 248 missing in various parts of the country because of typhoon "Frank."- GMANews.TV