MANILA (AFP) - The death toll from mammoth floods unleashed in the Philippines by tropical storm Washi has climbed to 652, the Red Cross said on Sunday, warning the total could climb significantly. Another 808 are missing.
The devastated port cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan accounted for 434 of the deaths, Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine National Red Cross said in a statement, warning the numbers could climb further.
'The affected area is so wide and huge and I believe they have not really gone to all areas to do a search. Also... many of the houses were washed out so that means the houses and the bodies were displaced,' said Ms Pang.
'We are only counting the actual dead bodies that were sent to funeral parlours,' she told AFP, warning many more bodies could still be found.
The devastated port cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan accounted for 434 of the deaths, Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine National Red Cross said in a statement, warning the numbers could climb further.
'The affected area is so wide and huge and I believe they have not really gone to all areas to do a search. Also... many of the houses were washed out so that means the houses and the bodies were displaced,' said Ms Pang.
'We are only counting the actual dead bodies that were sent to funeral parlours,' she told AFP, warning many more bodies could still be found.
