Death toll climbs to 43 in Philippines cyclone, 7 still missing

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Death toll from the cyclone Agaton in the Philippines has climbed to 43 with seven people still missing, the country’s disaster management authority said on Wednesday.

The tropical depression, internationally known as Megi, claimed most of the lives in the Visayas and Davao regions, the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in a statement to the daily Phil Star.

The cyclone caused rain, floods and landslides, affecting people who were evacuated to safer places, and damaging infrastructure on a large scale.

Around eight people were injured during the cyclone.

Nearly 16,800 metric tons of agricultural products have also been affected by the cyclone.

A day earlier, bad weather due to the cyclone caused over 280 flooding incidents in many parts of the country, including in the Bicol and autonomous Bangsamoro regions in Muslim Mindanao.

Police teams had been deployed to the flood-hit areas.

More than 95,700 families were affected by the floods, with a large number of people being displaced.