Death toll from Philippine typhoon rises to 36

The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Megi, which roared across the country earlier this week, rose to 36 on Friday, the government and Red Cross reported. The typhoon slammed into the north-eastern side of the main island of Luzon on Monday, ripping roofs off houses, toppling power lines and nearly destroying some coastal villages.
With wind gusts of 260 kilometres (160 miles) per hour, it was the strongest typhoon recorded anywhere in the world this year. Data from the government and the Red Cross showed 36 people had been confirmed killed, mostly in the north of Luzon, up from a toll of 27 on Thursday.
The government civil defence office said more than 32,000 people were still being housed in evacuation centres as the government rushed tents and food supplies to devastated regions in the north. Early estimates of the economic damage from the storm amounted to more than 7.6 billion pesos (176 million dollars), the office said.