57 reported dead in northern Philippines from typhoon: official

September 17, 2018

Deaths due to Typhoon Ompong, which left the Philippine area of responsibility Saturday night, reached 57, with the bulk of casualties coming from the Cordillera Administrative Region where rescuers are digging a collapsed church at a mining community, an official said late Sunday.

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Francis Tolentino told ANC 13 people are missing. He did not  give a breakdown.

Earlier, forty-nine persons were reported dead in Cordillera, with 14 people missing but this tally by the region's police office did not include small-scale miners who perished when a landslide hit their bunkhouse that served as a place of worship in Itogon, Benguet.

Officials in Barangay Ucab, Itogon told the Daily Manila Shimbun at least 32 persons died while around 38 were missing as of Sunday evening.

President Rodrigo Duterte, speaking in Cagayan where he and his Cabinet members were appraised of the damage by the typhoon said: "I share the grief of those who have lost their loved ones. Those are what we call unforeseen events."

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu told a televised briefing of Ilocos Norte officials with President Rodrigo Duterte and some Cabinet members in Laoag the site in Itogon was the Benguet Consolidated mine which closed in 1997. Small scale mining for gold persist, added Cimatu.

It was the second meeting on Sunday for Duterte.

As of 12 noon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said a total of 70,183 families or 270, 388 persons were affected in 1, 502 barangays in Northern Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, National Capital Region, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Cordillera Autonomous Region.

A total of 39, 824 families or 154, 185 individuals are being served in 1, 250 evacuation centers.

Damage to agriculture and infrastructure have yet to determined. Ella Dionisio/DMS