The death toll from Typhoon Phanfone within the Philippines has reached 50 and is predicted to rise within the New Year

The devastating winds and heavy rains unleashed by Typhoon Phanfone toppled shabby homes and industrial buildings, mostly in central Visayas, affecting greater than two million people.

At least 80,000 individuals are in temporary shelters and, given the dimensions of the destruction, they could must stay there until the New Year.

“We are sorry that a few of our countrymen are still in evacuation centers, but we assure them that they’ll proceed to receive support until they get back on their feet,” said Mark Timbal, spokesman for the national disaster agency.

Five individuals are still missing after the storm, which left 143 people injured.

The death toll – up from 41 on Sunday – included three sailors who died when their ship capsized, a policeman who was electrocuted by a fallen pole and a person who was hit by a falling tree.

The agency’s recent report showed that greater than 1.6 million people were affected by the typhoon, which damaged greater than 260,000 homes and compelled almost 100 thousand people to flee to shelters.

Many affected residents of the predominantly Catholic country celebrated Christmas in evacuation centers, where they could must remain until the New Year because of the dimensions of the destruction.

Thousands of individuals remain in shelters after typhoon Phanfone’s death toll rises to 41

The government estimated that the storm caused $21 million in damage to agriculture and infrastructure.

Power lines and web connections in some areas remain down after powerful wind gusts in Phanfone, reaching speeds of as much as 200 kilometers (124 miles) per hour, downed electricity poles and trees.

Typhoon Phanfone, locally called Ursula, was the twenty first cyclone to hit the storm-prone Philippines this 12 months.

Many storms destroy crops, homes and infrastructure, keeping hundreds of thousands of individuals in constant poverty.

This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: The typhoon’s death toll has reached 50 as the dimensions of the disaster increases