Death toll from Typhoon Haiyan rises to 120. The Church is ready to send aid
Manila (AsiaNews) - The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan now stands at 120 people. The typhoon struck the central Philippines with winds exceeding 200 km / h and is now headed towards Vietnam. According to the Philippine government, dozens of villages are still isolated and the number of victims could increase in the coming hours . This morning rescuers registered more than 100 dead in the city of Tacloban , the capital of the province of Leyte , the most affected by the typhoon. Another 20 bodies were recovered in a village a few kilometers from the town and placed in a church.
Interviewed by AsiaNews, Fr . John King, regional superior of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME ) , points out that "most of the areas affected by the typhoon are without electricity, telephones and drinking water". The priest said that in the coming days PIME will work with Caritas and the local diocese to raise aid for the displaced, many of which have already been affected by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck the province of Cebu October 15. "At the moment - adds Fr . King - it is too early to determine any relief strategies. The authorities have yet to determine the full extent of the tragedy". Tomorrow in the parishes will begin a first campaign of solidarity for the victims.
The super-typhoon Haiyan yesterday reached the center of the Philippines, with winds exceeding 235 km / h and gusts that peaked at nearly 300 km / h , hitting more than 30 provinces . According to meteorologists Haiyan , renamed Yolanda by Filipinos, is the 25th typhoon of 2013 and is the most powerful to have crossed land. In the next hours it will reach the southern coast of Vietnam, where the authorities have already arranged the evacuation of more than 100 thousand people and closed schools and public offices.
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02/11/2020 10:36
