'Yolanda' death toll rises to 5,719

The official death toll from super typhoon "Yolanda" has risen to 5,719, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Wednesday. In its 6 a.m. Wednesday update, the NDRRMC said 39 more were confirmed dead in the worst-hit city of Tacloban in Leyte.

Majority of the fatalities were from Eastern Visayas at 5,377 (4,882 in Leyte; 265 in Eastern Samar; 224 in Samar; and 6 in Biliran). In Tacloban, 2,116 bodies have yet to be identified. The number of missing remains at 1,779: 1,671 in Leyte; 38 in Samar; 24 in Palawan; 20 in Eastern Samar; 15 in Antique; 5 in Cebu; 4 in Iloilo and 1 each in Guimaras and Capiz.

The NDRRMC said at least 26,233 were wounded after the typhoon crashed into central Philippines last November 8. At least 2,380,019 families or 11,260,069 individuals were affected by the typhoon, with 4,022,868 people displaced. Some 598,815 homes were totally destroyed while at least 611,364 houses were partially damaged.

The cost of damage from the typhoon, meanwhile, remains at P34,366,518,530.67 (P17,333,367,534.29 for infrastructures and P17,033,150,996.38 for agriculture products). At least P881,962,082.03 worth of relief assistance has been provided to the affected families by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), local government units, and non-government organizations. Foreign aid pledges, meanwhile, have reached P22,066,399,734.15 (P4,604,299,695.10 cash and P17,462,100,039.05 non-cash), according to the government's Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH).