By Tara Yap ILOILO CITY — At least eight people died and scores missing as Typhoon “Ursula” lashed the northern part of Panay Island on Christmas Day. (Photo courtesy of Capiz Kabalaka Information Center/ MANILA BULLETIN) The Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Western Visayas RDRRMC) confirmed this on a site report released late Wednesday evening. Of the eight casualties, six were recorded in northern Iloilo province. They are identified as Danilo Abendanio, 62; Henry “Dodok” Alfuente, 56; and Joemar Dela Cruz, 30, of Balasan town. The three other casualties were members of the De Asis family of Batad town. They are Roel De Asis, 41; and his two children – Meme,14, and Yanyan. Two casualties were reported in Capiz province - Merlinda Delatina Baquilar, 53, of Pontevedra town; and Edward Gautani, 12, of President Roxas town. “It was a sad Christmas. There were casualties and the damage is extensive,” said Jose Roberto Nuñez, regional director for Western Visayas of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). Nuñez, who chairs the Western Visayas RDRRMC, admitted to Manila Bulletin that reports from other parts of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo provinces are slowly coming in. The Western Visayas RDRRMC reports six more people missing, but the numbers with local officials vary. Jerry Bionat, executive director of the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Iloilo PDRRMC), told the Manila Bulletin there are 12 missing persons in northern Iloilo province. Judy Grace Pelaez of Capiz PDRRMC told the Manila Bulletin that records show only one missing person, but the number may rise as reports are also slowly coming in. Communication signals were spotty in other areas of northern Panay Island. Many parts of Aklan province lost power since Christmas Eve.