Nearly 100 people are now believed to have been killed by the storm, and rescuers are still trying to reach some devastated areas.
The death toll from a powerful typhoon that struck the Philippines last week is continuing to rise as rescuers reach more devastated areas, with nearly 100 people now believed to have been killed, officials said on Sunday. More than half of the deaths reported so far from Super Typhoon Rai were in the island province of Bohol in the central Visayas region, a tourist destination known for its diving spots and coral reefs. The governor of Bohol, Arthur Yap, said that as of noon Sunday, the typhoon was believed to have killed 63 people in the province, a toll based on field reports from community leaders. “It is very clear that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing,” Mr. Yap said. He said he had seen vast destruction of coastal communities in an aerial survey aboard a military plane. The Philippines’ national disaster agency, which often takes time to confirm deaths reported by officials around the country, was still reporting a count of 31 deaths from the typhoon on Sunday, a toll that did not reflect the figures provided by Mr.
