Manila: The toll from Typhoon Rai battering the Philippines since Thursday has climbed to 12, a disaster official said on Friday.
The toll is expected to rise further as officials gather data from the devastation. Local television showed footage of houses and buildings destroyed by fierce winds which also tore down trees in the central and southern regions.
Ricardo Jalad, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director, said the 12 victims were residents of the central Philippines and northern Mindanao region in the southern Philippines.
Rai also caused a massive power outage in both the regions. The 15th powerful cyclone to batter the Philippines this year, Rai, made landfall on December 16 triggering flash floods leaving villages submerged and people appealing for rescue.
Local officials have evacuated tens of thousands of people from central Philippines and the northern Mindanao region a day before the landfall.
According to the state weather bureau, Rai is packing sustained winds of 150 kmph and gusts of up to 205 kmph.
At 4 pm, Rai was hovering over the coastal waters of San Vicente in Palawan province.
