Typhoon Haiyan Death Toll Spikes to 5,235; Deadliest Storm Ever-Recorded in Philippines

By Joshua Cheng
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan AFP

The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines has jumped to 5,235, authorities reported early Saturday.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's website posted the updated death toll at 6 a.m. (5 p.m. ET Friday). Just earlier this week, the figure stood at a little more than 4,000. The agency counts only those corpses that have been logged by authorized officials.

Moreover, the government agency also reported that 23,501 were injured as a result of the storm and 1,613 were reported missing.

Most of the deaths were recorded on the island of Leyte, including 1,725 in its badly damaged capital city of Tacloban.

With the spike in the numbers of dead Friday, the storm reached the levels of Tropical Storm Thelma, which killed at least 5,000 people in 1991, according to New York Times.

The strongest recorded storm made landfall on Nov. 8, devastating communities and displaced about 4 million people. Many are without immediate access to food and medical care.

Despite signs of improvement, many are now living in emergency shelters like schools, government offices and the Tacloban City Convention Center. Some live in badly damaged buildings with mud from the storm still covering floors, the New York Times reports.

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