Typhoon toll rises

Typhoon toll rises
to 23 as RP mops up

PHILIPPINES: The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the
Philippines this year rose to 23 on Friday, as rescue workers
rushed to clear landslides and send food and medicine to isolated
areas, disaster officials said.

Thousands of people were displaced by typhoon Mindulle, which
packed winds of 190 km per hour and gusts of up to 230 km per
hour as it swept past the northern region of Luzon island.

Crop and infrastructure damage was estimated at US$9.8
million, mostly in rice- and corn-growing areas in Cagayan Valley
region, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo boarded a rubber navy boat
on Friday to distribute relief goods to nearly 200,000 residents
in Cagayan province, which bore the brunt of the storm.

"I want immediate measures to restore agricultural capacity,"
said Arroyo, in a statement she read before inspecting villages
affected by typhoon in Cagayan province. -- Reuters