Task force head denies retrieval of 100 bodies under San Juanico Bridge

(Updated 7:46 p.m.) The head of a task group in charge of retrieving the bodies of those who perished in Typhoon Yolanda has denied reports that over a hundred corpses were retrieved under the San Juanico Bridge.

A report on GMA News TV's “Balitanghali” on Wednesday quoted Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta of the Bureau of Fire Protection as saying that only 23 bodies were found under the famous bridge.

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Gerald Fabic, however, said at least 80 bodies, believed to be victims of the super typhoon, were found at the vicinity of San Juanico Bridge, which connects Leyte and Samar.

Citing information from police and barangay officials, Fabic said the bodies were “scattered at the mangrove area” at Peerless village in Barangay Bagacay in Tacloban city and San Juanico Straits.

“The bodies are in the state of decomposition (and) remained floating under the mangrove trees,” he said, adding the bodies were found as early as last week.

Cordeta, head of Task Force Cadaver, said his Tacloban-based team recovers an average of 20 to 25 bodies during its daily operations in the city.

The “Balitanghali” report said volunteers from the Chinese Red Cross claimed to have retrieved more than 100 bodies under the bridge.

Cordeta appealed to foreign groups helping in the retrieval operations in typhoon-affected areas to coordinate with them first to ensure that standard operating procedures are followed during the retrieval and turnover of the bodies to authorities.

He also said bodies recovered by any group should not be immediately buried since they need to be inspected first by personnel from the Department of Health, Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation for identification purposes.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said the number of fatalities from typhoon Yolanda has reached 5,719, making Yolanda the year's deadliest disaster to hit the Philippines.

Aside from the fatalities, a total of 1,779 individuals were still missing.

Government officials earlier said more bodies may still be recovered in the coming days as various groups conduct retrieval operations in far-flung areas devastated by the typhoon. — Xianne Arcangel/KBK, GMA News