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PHILIPPINES: TYPHOON DEATH TOLL LIKELY TO STRIKE 600 December 4, 2006
Bonny Apunyu
(SomaliNet) There is a new fear that the death toll from Typhoon Durian which washed the South China Sea on Friday, could hit 600 after driving rain and winds of up to 225 kph sent waves of mud crashing down an active volcano onto nearby villages.
The Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity today, allowing her to order the release of 1 billion pesos ($20 million) in government funds for relief and rehabilitation of affected areas.
"We owe it to the people to recover their relatives but, at some point in time, we could have to declare closure," said Senator Richard Gordon, head of the local Red Cross.
According to Philippine’s National Disaster Coordinating Council, 309 people had been killed by landslides, flooding and flying debris, with 298 still missing across the central Bicol region.
Durian, one notch below a category 5 "super typhoon" when it hit the Philippines, weakened to a category 1 typhoon over the South China Sea and was expected to hit Vietnam’s coast on Monday, potentially disrupting the coffee harvest. In the Philippines, more than 800,000 people were affected by Durian.