Philippines counts 1,080 lost in storm and floods

MORE than 1,000 people are missing from the storm and flash floods that devastated the Philippines last week, the country’s disaster agency said yesterday.

Typhoon Washi and the flash floods it caused on the southern island of Mindanao are known to have killed 1,080 people.

Most of the casualties were in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, where hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. Many of them are sheltering in schools, churches and an army base.

Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster agency, said authorities had expanded the search in light of the new tally of missing and because some bodies had been found on shores nearly 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the disaster area.

“We’ve deployed helicopters to help navy ships scour the seas further away,” Mr Ramos said.

The disaster had caused damage of £14.7 million to highways, bridges, schools and other infrastructure, the agency said.