TYPHOON Rai has killed 389 people in the Philippines, reported Xinhua news agency.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the tropical storm, which made landfall in the country on December 16, has also caused 1,146 people to be injured and 64 others missing.

It said the typhoon has affected more than 4.2 million individuals in 11 regions in central and southern parts of the Philippines, and parts of the main Luzon Island.

The storm, the 15th and most powerful to have hit the country this year, has forced villagers to spend their holidays in evacuation centres due to damaged homes.

The agency said almost 315,000 of more than 570,000 displaced people have been temporarily housed in 1,179 evacuation centres, while more than 500,000 houses have been destroyed.

The damage to agriculture and infrastructure has reached over 22 billion pesos (RM1.8 billion).

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told an online briefing that the typhoon damaged 141 health facilities, including hospitals, in five hard-hit areas.

The Health Department has monitored food and water-borne diseases like acute gastroenteritis and diarrhoea in typhoon-hit areas. Some patients have been taken to hospitals.

Vergeire urged evacuees to follow rules to avoid infections amid the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that it is imperative to watch for evacuees with coronavirus symptoms and make separate rooms for the vulnerable.

The typhoon has also affected 62 coronavirus laboratories and wasted thousands of vaccine doses due to power outages, she added.

The government continues to bring aid to affected areas, including food and water, while restoring damaged roads, telecommunications and houses.

China has offered urgent assistance to support relief and recovery efforts of the government and help victims of the disaster. – Bernama, December 27, 2021.