Storm toll mounts as bodies wash ashore

The death toll from Tropical Storm Washi in the Philippines topped 1,200 and the number of people injured has more than doubled, an official said Monday. Maj. Reynaldo Balido, military assistant for operations at the Office of Civil Defense, said the death toll was raised to 1,249 from 1,100 during the weekend as bodies that were swept to sea because of flash flooding began washing ashore, CNN reported. Authorities have enlisted the help of local fishermen to assist in the search for the scores of people who remain missing, Balido said. Tropical Storm Washi moved the southern Philippines Dec. 16-18, touching off landslides and flash floods that swept away whole villages. "I've gone through many disasters but this one is the worst as some of the survivors have lost so many family members," said Richard Gordon, Philippine Red Cross chairman. The number of people injured because of the storm more than doubled to 4,594 from 1,979 during the weekend, the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on its Web site. The United Nations said last week that the storm, known locally as Sendong, created a massive humanitarian need in the region. The non-government organization said it seeks $28 million to address immediate problems, with tens of thousands of people displaced in and around the port cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.