• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
As the search and rescue operations across the Negros Island Region (NIR) continue after the wrath of Typhoon Tino, records show that the reported casualties continue to rise as the death toll has reached 62, with 49 casualties in Negros Occidental and 13 in Negros Oriental, while 67 others are still missing across the region.
Based on the most recent data released by the Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the town of La Castellana still has the most casualties with 12 confirmed deaths and 18 individuals missing. Search and rescue operations of local units for the retrieval of the victims are still ongoing in the area, PDRRMO Head Irene Bel Ploteña said.
It was followed by Hinigaran with 7 reported deaths and 2 individuals reported missing, and La Carlota City which reported 4 deaths and 11 missing.
Bago City reported additional casualties, which brought the total death toll in the city to 6, while 5 are still missing. One of the casualties was a 5-year-old boy who reportedly lost his life due to a fallen tree that hit their residence.
Adding to the list was Moises Padilla, which was affected by flash floods. The town logged 6 deaths and 11 missing individuals.
San Carlos City also recorded 5 confirmed deaths and 2 missing persons, while the town of Murcia has 2, including a toddler who drowned along the Bago River in Barangay Iglau-an. The two recorded deaths in Murcia were reportedly residents of San Carlos City, the families confirmed yesterday.
Binalbagan town logged 4 deaths.
Furthermore, the towns of Isabela and Pontevedra recorded 1 casualty each. Isabela also has 3 missing persons.
Himamaylan Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao also reported yesterday that a infant, more or less 6 months old, was swept away by flash floods, logging one death in the city.
Most of the deaths involved drowning or being pinned by fallen trees, according to Ploteña.
In Negros Oriental, Canlaon City LGU confirmed that the reported deaths in the city have risen to 12, with 14 missing persons recorded. This brings the province to 13 deaths, as a 23-year-old lady was struck by rocks in the town of Vallehermoso during the typhoon. However, authorities clarified that the statistics shown by the PDRRMO, which was based on LGUs report, were still up for verification, whether the reported deaths were caused by the onslaught of the typhoon.
As of the press time, out of 62 reported deaths, 32 have been verified by the Office of the Civil Defense Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR). Other reports were still under verification.*
