International aid was pouring in for millions of victims of a powerful typhoon, which killed 647 people as muddy floodwaters washed out entire villages in the southern Philippines, officials said on Monday.
At least 780 people were missing from the devastation mostly in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental on Mindanao Island, which were the hardest-hit areas, the Office of Civil Defence said.
The U.S. was providing assistance of an additional?three million dollars “to address typhoon-related humanitarian needs, including support for shelter, logistics and food,’’ U.S. Amb. Harry Thomas said on Monday.
It earlier donated 100,000 dollars for relief efforts and dispatched U.S. Marines and personnel from the U.S. Agency for International Development to affected areas.
On Saturday, Japan pledged emergency aid worth 545,000 dollars for 5.14 million people affected by Typhoon Bopha, which slammed into the southern Philippines on Dec. 4.
Malaysia sent 13 tonnes of relief goods worth more than 114,000 dollars.
Indonesia also donated blankets, ready-to-eat meals, instant noodles and?one million dollars, the military said.
Bopha, the strongest cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, triggered floods and landslides that damaged more than 70,000 homes, cut off power supplies and communications lines.
It caused damage estimated at 177.75 million dollars (7.11 billion pesos). (dpa/NAN)