Haiyan's toll: shifting estimates

The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines rose to 2,275 on Wednesday, said Eduardo del Rosario, executive director of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Del Rosario said at a news briefing that 3,665 people are injured and 80 are still missing.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said on Tuesday that the projected number of dead from the typhoon is 2,000 to 2,500, lowering an earlier estimate by a local police official that the death toll may top 10,000 in Tacloban City alone.

Asked if the number of casualties would surpass the president's estimate, Del Rosario said: "We do not like to speculate. It's better if it will not increase. ... Let us not speculate."

Del Rosario also explained that the high number of casualties was due to storm surges caused by Typhoon Haiyan. "As they said, it's like a mini-tsunami storm surge," he said.

"You may be wondering why many died. It reached thousands. We saw the destruction that happened on the ground," said Del Rosario, adding that the Tacloban City airport was submerged by two to four meters of water.

Del Rosario also disputed speculations that the government did not prepare for the typhoon, saying local government units effected preemptive evacuations before Haiyan made landfall on Friday.

- Xinhua

(China Daily 11/14/2013 page12)