Philippine death toll from tropical storm Nock-Ten rises to 52

Xinhua, July 31, 2011

The death toll from tropical storm Nock-ten (local code: Juaning) in the Philippines has risen to 52, the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday.

NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos said rescuers continued to search for 27 missing people after dumping rain that caused floods in most parts of the northern Philippine region of Luzon.

Nock-ten's total damage to properties reached over 1.2 billion pesos (28.44 million U.S. dollars), Ramos said, adding that the storm also destroyed around 500 houses and displaced over 968,000 people from several northern Philippine provinces.