By Xinhua
Manila : The death toll in Typhoon Mitag has risen to 12 as it is on its way to exit the Philippines, the national disaster relief agency said Tuesday.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said in a report that at least four other people remain missing while one was injured by typhoon-triggered calamities.
Mitag affected at least 100,588 families or 443,109 people from 899 villages and 121 towns in 19 provinces in Luzon island in northern Philippines and central Visayas region.
About 45,000 families or 201,329 people have been brought to 668 evacuation centres to avoid greater loss, the report said.
The Agriculture Department, meanwhile, estimated 6,075 hectares of crops worth 109.648 million pesos ($2.55 million) were damaged, including 2,671 hectares of rice and 1,973 hectares of corn.
According to the Philippine weather forecast bureau, at 5 a.m. Tuesday the centre of the typhoon was located 260 km from the major northern city of Laoag.
It said Mitag was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 km per hour near the centre but would weaken as it continued to move northwards at 15 km per hour.