Typhoon Rai death toll climbs to 375 in Philippines

At least 500 people injured when the ‘super’ typhoon ravaged the southern and central regions of the country

Survivors stranded on Dinagat Islands write letters to loved ones, posted on Facebook page of governor Arlene Bag-ao

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Residents salvage parts of their homes damaged due to Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines. Photo: AP

Published: 9:30am, 20 Dec 2021Updated: 8:47pm, 20 Dec 2021

The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has surged to at least 375, national police said on Monday, making it one of the deadliest storms to slam the country in recent years.

At least 500 people were injured and 56 were missing after Typhoon Rai ravaged the southern and central regions of the archipelago, the police tally showed.

More than 380,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Rai smashed into the country on Thursday as a super typhoon.

A destroyed government building caused by Super Typhoon Rai, in San Jose, Dinagat island. Photo: Handout, via AFP

Police said 170 of the deaths were reported from the central Visayas region, which includes the provinces of Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental.

Deaths reported in the southern Caraga region, where the hard-hit provinces of Dinagat Islands and Surigao Del Norte are located, were at 167, while 24 were killed in Western Visays region, according to police data. Fourteen other fatalities were reported in other areas, police said.

As the Philippine Red Cross reported “complete carnage” in coastal areas and the military sent aid via planes and naval vessels, survivors stranded on a devastated island with no mobile signal or internet to contact loved ones wrote letters to reassure relatives they are alive.

Photos of the touching missives were posted on Monday on the Facebook page of Dinagat Islands Governor Arlene Bag-ao, who has been able to get online during trips to the neighbouring island of Mindanao where she is seeking help for her constituents.