The death toll due to Typhoon “Agaton” has climbed to 137 and this is feared to further increase as over two dozens more are still missing in landslide-hit areas in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Good Friday, April 15.

NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said in a situational report that 130 deaths were still undergoing verification while seven deaths – six in Western Visayas (region 6) and one in Eastern Visayas – were already confirmed by the national disaster council.

In Leyte province, 128 people were reported dead in Baybay City and in the municipality of Abuyog where rampaging mud and soil buried several residential houses at the height of the storm earlier this week.

Aside from this, six persons in Western Visayas and three others in Davao (Region 11) were previously reported killed by the NDRRMC due to flooding and landslide.

“We are racing against time because the longer it gets, the harder it is for our rescuers to retrieve the victims,” Jalad said during a visit to Barangay Kantagnos, Baybay City on Maundy Thursday.

This will make it hard for authorities to verify the identities of the victims especially in Baybay City where 27 out of the 28 missing persons were reported, Jalad explained.

However, rescuers could not operate in certain areas in Baybay City, such as in Barangay Kantagnos, due to safety issues.

“We have to prioritize the safety of responders. We cannot penetrate the landslide area yet because the soil is still soft. It would be too dangerous for them,” the NDRRMC chief stressed.

Jalad also visited the Abuyog Community College in Abuyog town to personally oversee the situation of the evacuees, and the ongoing response operations and post-disaster activities.

“We have two primary efforts: first is to secure the welfare of evacuees which is being led by the local government units and supported by DSWD and other agencies. Second is the search, rescue and retrieval undertaken by the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, and response units of LGU),” he said.

Currently, the number of affected persons due to Agaton has ballooned to 494,607 families or 1,689,436 individuals.

The typhoon also displaced a total of 153,694 families or 323,306 individuals, including more than 218,000 who were staying in 1,033 evacuation centers.

The estimated cost of damage to agriculture due to Agaton was pegged at P186,632,976.31 which were incurred in Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao (Region 10), Soccsksargen (Region 12), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Meanwhile, damage to infrastructure was placed at P6,950,000.