The death toll in the Philippines has risen to 74 , while 55 are missing. This is as a result of the Typhoon Mangkhut – mainly due to landslides in northern provinces, police said Tuesday.
About 60, of those reported to be dead were from the northern Cordillera region, which includes Benguet province, where a massive landslide buried an old mining site in the town of Itogon. Fifty-two of the missing were also from the Cordillera, according to national police spokesman, senior superintendent Benigno Durana.
Police officers as well as volunteers and others have continued in the search for the missing in the old mining site in Itogon.
“We will not lose hope and, with our prayers, we will not stop until the last of our fellow Filipinos will be accounted for,” he told reporters. “We are hoping against hope that we will recover someone alive.”
“Miracles can still happen,” he added.
Mangkhut was concentrated around the northern Philippines on Saturday before departing towards southern China 20 hours later. Over 219 500 residents were displaced by the typhoon. This is one of the strongest typhoons experienced in a long time.
