Quinta death toll rises to 20

MANILA, Philippines – The death toll from a tropical storm that hit the central Philippines on Christmas Day has risen to 20, with more than 20,000 others left homeless, the government said on Sunday, December 30.

More drowning victims as well as the body of an elderly man crushed by a fallen tree had been found on Panay island along with that of an electrocution victim, raising the number of dead by nine, the civil defense office said.

Four other people were missing after tropical storm Quinta (Wukong) hit the island on December 25, it said in an updated bulletin.

The government agency said Quinta wrecked about 5,000 houses, driving entire communities into government-run shelters.

More than 23,000 people remained in these camps on December 30, it added.

Quinta unleashed floods and landslides across the country’s center before dissipating in the South China Sea, 3 weeks after typhoon Pablo (Bopha) hit the south of the country and left 1,901 people dead or missing.

The government is still feeding thousands of homeless survivors and building shelters for them after entire towns were wiped out by Pablo, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year.

The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms or typhoons each year. – Rappler.com