Typhoon Bopha death toll climbs over 500, search continues (PHOTOS)
Rescue workers carry dead bodies, victims of flash floods at the height Typhoon Bopha and retrieved from amongst the debris of logs in New Bataan, Compostela Valley province on December 7, 2012. President Benigno Aquino vowed action on the Philippines’ typhoon disasters December 7 as bruised and grieving survivors tried to recover from the latest that left nearly 500 people dead.
The death toll of Typhoon Bopha is now over 500, as over 400 people remain missing.
The Typhoon struck the southern Philippines Tuesday, and over 310,000 people have been rendered homeless, relying on food and emergency supplies from government agencies and aid organizations, the Associated Press reported.
In the town of New Bataan, located in one of the hardest-hit regions, several refugee centers had flooded during the storm, according to the New York Times.
"We are going to look at what really happened. There are allegations of illegal mining, there are allegations of the force of nature," said Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who traveled with President Benigno Aquino III to New Bataan. "We will find out why there are homes in these geohazard locations."
As Philippines officials point to climate change, deforestation from illegal logging, and small-scale mining as some of the culprits, the country's residents struggle to recover.