Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines

The number of fatalities from Typhoon Nesat that battered the Philippines has risen to 20.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the number of dead went up after the council received additional reports of drowning and trees falling on houses, killing the occupants.

The council said the casualties were from the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union, Cagayan, Bulacan, Zambales, Pampanga, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and Ifugao.

There were reports of 14 injured persons and 35 missing fishermen.

The typhoon affected more than 171,000 people from 22 Philippine provinces.

Northern provinces sustained crop damage valued at $16.8 million (PHP 729 million) in 25 provinces, according to the Department of Agriculture. The storm destroyed 39,175 metric tons of rice, 6,322 metric tons of corn and 110 metric tons of high-value crops.

Nesat also badly battered the national capital region. Water from Manila Bay and the strong downpour flooded the U.S. embassy along Roxas Boulevard and several hotels and commercial establishments in the reclaimed area as the water reached waist or chest-deep in some areas. The U.S. embassy was closed Tuesday and Wednesday because of the inundation.

Classes in all levels were canceled in the affected provinces and work in government offices was suspended. The strong winds felled trees and snapped power lines, causing power interruption in many areas.

While Nesat has moved out of the Philippines, the country is under threat from another approaching storm named Nalgae.

The Philippine weather bureau said the full force of Nalgae would likely be felt in Luzon beginning Sunday.

The Philippines experiences about 20 major storms a year.

 

 

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