Storm Haiyan (Yolanda) Update: Red Cross Estimates Fatalities Due to Megatyphoon Could Reach 1,200; Residents Loot Tacloban Mall at Height of Storm
From an initial 3 confirmed fatalities, the death toll continues to rise as rescuers and residents discover bodies in the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Last official count provided by the Philippine Air Force was 100, but the number represented only the province of Leyte.
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On Saturday night, Gwendolyn Pang, the secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, estimated fatalities could possibly reach 1,200 based on early reports that 1,000 residents of the coastal city of Tacloban perished while the same fate was met by 200 Samar residents.
ABS-CBN reports that a lot of bodies remain on the roadsides after the 315 kph storm, equivalent to a Category 5 Hurricane, battered central Philippines.
Homes in the provinces, usually made of light materials, did not withstand the powerful gusts of winds brought by Haiyan.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who inspected coastal town in Leyte, said, "Imagine a strip one kilometre deep inland from the shore, and all the shanties, everything dcstroyed ... They were just like matchsticks flung inland. All the houses were destroyed."
While CNN commented that Haiyan brought out the indomitable spirit of the Filipino people, residents of Tacloban destroyed that positive image after ABS-CBN showed video of Residents Loot the Gaisano Mall at the Height of the Storm.
The report said residents took advantage of the breakdown in law and order by stealing goods ranging from grocery items to big-ticket items such as appliances.