Rescue workers in the Philippines have discovered additional victims buried in the landslides that rocked the country during the flood, after initially revising the number of storm-related fatalities.
The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, will fly over flooded areas to survey the devastation caused by Typhoon Nalgae, which ravaged his country and killed nearly 100 people.
More than half of the fatalities were the result of rain-induced landslides that devoured vast tracts of land and everything in their path.
An official has stated that villagers in Kusiong, in the southern province of Maguindanao, erroneously believed a tsunami was approaching and fled to higher ground, only to be buried alive by a boulder-laden flood.
At least eighteen bodies, including those of children, have been exhumed by rescuers from the enormous muddy mound that now covers the majority of the region.
According to the nation’s disaster organization, 63 people are still missing and 69 were injured.
The infrastructure damage caused by heavy rainfall and high winds was evaluated at 757.84 million pesos (£11.3 million).
On Monday, Mr. Marcos will depart with disaster relief teams to undertake airborne inspections of submerged villages in the province of Cavite, close to the city of Manila.
He expressed dismay at the number of fatalities.
Aid and food packages have been distributed by government authorities to affected families.
Five-time landfalling Nalgae was forecast to depart the Philippines on Monday evening and travel toward southern China.
The Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons each year, and frequent landslides and floods are partially attributable to the intensification of tropical cyclones.
