Typhoon Vamco death toll in Philippines reaches 53

Manila, Nov 14 : The death toll from typhoon Vamco that battered the Philippines earlier this week has increased to 53, the police said on Saturday.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said that 22 people were still missing in the flash floods and landslides triggered by the typhoon which slammed the main island of Luzon from Wednesday to Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.
The toll is likely to rise as rescuers continue to search for the missing, the PNP added.
The focus now is on rescuing the victims in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela.
Using rubber boats, rescuers scramble to pluck residents stranded on rooftops of submerged houses.
Philippine Coast Guard footage showed a big swath of the provinces submerged in brown floodwaters triggered by the spilling water from Magat Dam, a large rock-fill dam on the Magat River in the main island of Luzon.