Philippine death toll from Washi rises to over 900

The death toll from tropical storm Washi (local name: Sendong) that recently battered southern Philippines has risen to 957 with 49 still missing and nearly 2 million pesos (45,495 U.S. dollars) worth of crops destroyed, officials said Tuesday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council ( NDRRMC) reported that most of the casualties were from the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte. More than 60,000 families in southern Philippines have been displaced by floods and landslides. This is one of the worst calamities that hit the region for the past few years. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has placed the cities of Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental and Iligan in Lanao del Norte under state of calamity. The social welfare department and local government officials sent 8.2 million pesos (186,533 U.S. dollars) worth of relief supplies to help families affected by the typhoon.