Philippine official death toll from typhoon "Haiyan" rises to 255

Death toll from super typhoon " Haiyan," locally named "Yolanda," climbed to 255 with affected individuals ballooning to 9.7 million, a senior government official said Monday.

169 of the deceased came from the eastern coast area which includes Leyte and Eastern Samar. The rest came from central part of the country, according to executive director Eduardo del Rosario of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Some 71 people were injured while 38 others were missing, he added.

The number of the affected population has been more than doubled to 9.7 million, scattering in 41 provinces. The government has provided 1,444 evacuation centers which housed 433,000 persons.

The typhoon's damage to infrastructure and agriculture was estimated at over 296.5 million pesos (6.86 million U.S. dollars).