Typhoon Noru death toll rises to 11 in Philippines, 6 remain missing

Manila, Sep 29 (EFE).- At least 11 people were killed and six remain missing after typhoon Noru left a trail of devastation across northern Philippines over the past weekend, forcing thousands of people to take refuge in shelters and causing serious damage to infrastructure and agriculture, according to a report published by the emergency council on Thursday.

The national emergency council reported deaths in the provinces of Rizal, Zambales, Quezon and Bulacan, all on the Luzon island, where Noru struck as a “supertyphoon” (the highest alert-level) with winds of over 250 kilometers per hour (approx. 155 mph), according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Six of the deaths were caused by floods, landslides, and traffic accidents due to the devastating impact of the cyclone.

The other five victims, who were part of the rescue team, got pulled into the current of an overflowing river on Monday morning while trying to evacuate the residents of a neighborhood in the city of San Miguel, in Bulacan.

Furthermore, a total of 640,000 people were directly affected by the storm, out of which 25,177 were still sleeping in evacuation centers, according to emergency services.

Infrastructural losses are estimated to be about $398,000, while 75 percent of the rice crop in Luzon may have been affected due to typhoon Noru, which pummeled central Vietnam on Wednesday. EFE

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