Pablo death toll climbs to 740, property damage nears P10B

The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Pablo (Bopha) climbed further to 740 Tuesday night, even as the estimated damage it caused neared the P10-billion mark, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. In its 6 p.m. update, the NDRRMC said that of the 740 fatalities, 536 have so far been identified. It added 890 remained missing while 1,906 were injured. Several of the most recent fatalities were from Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley, two of the areas hit hardest by Pablo. Also, it said Pablo had affected 528,822 families or 5,474,673 people in 1,947 villages in 252 towns and 37 cities in 30 provinces. Of these, 23,421 families or 100,248 people are still being served in 113 evacuation centers. The NDRRMC said Pablo has caused some P9,933,760,768.05 in damage, including P3,695,681,300 in infrastructure, P6,219,690,975.05 in agriculture, and P18,388,493 in private properties. At least 50 provinces, towns and cities remained under a state of calamity. — DVM, GMA News