The official death toll from typhoon Bopha (local name Pablo) in the Philippines has already reached 620, while the number of missing also rose to 817, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday.

Philippine death toll due to "Bopha" climbs to 418

Residents walk by a destroyed bridge and pile of logs in Davao Oriental province, the Philippines, on Dec. 8, 2012. Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared a state of national calamity following the devastation brought by Typhoon Bopha (local name Pablo) in Southern Philippines, a senior government official said Saturday.

NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos said they are not giving up hopes to recover more survivors as the search, rescue, and retrieval operations continue.

Ramos said they remain confident that they would recover survivors. "We hope to find more survivors, especially in isolated areas which are yet to be reached by our rescuers," he said.

Of the 817 missing, Ramos said over 500 were from Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental which ravaged by flashfloods and strong winds.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, the number of affected population exceeded 1 million families or 5.4 million persons. Of the number, 131,000 people are still housed in 172 evacuation centers.

The initial cost of damage to agriculture, infrastructure and property is now at 6.4 billion pesos (159 million U.S. dollars), Ramos said.

Source: Xinhuanet