Philippines: At least 50 still missing after Typhoon Rai, death toll at 169

The total death toll from Typhoon Rai (also known as Odette), which made landfall in the Philippines last week, has gone up to 169, while at least 50 people remain missing, Philippine media report.

Most of the fatalities have been reported in the Central Visayas region (129 dead), followed by Western Visayas with 22 deaths, The Manila Bulletin said on Sunday, citing Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Rhoderick Augustus Alba.

According to the newspaper, typhoon-related deaths have also been reported in the Philippine regions of Caraga (10), Northern Mindanao (7) and Zamboanga (1). At least 50 people are still missing.

More than 180,800 people remain displaced and power outages have been reported in over 3,000 different areas in the Philippines.

According to the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), more than 332,000 people had to be evacuated after Rai hit the Philippines on December 16. NDRRMC has reported 31 fatalities but only four of them were confirmed to be typhoon-related.