Philippine typhoon death toll rises to 714

 MANILA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The official death toll¹ from typhoon Bopha has climbed to 714, a Philippine government agency said Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council ( NDRRMC) said in the latest report that 890 people are still missing. Of the dead persons, 457 have been identifies.

Earlier, a military ground commander said "there is a little chance (to recover more survivors)," adding that they have widened the coverage² of the ongoing³ search, rescue and retrieval operations, especially in Compostela Valley province where the missing are believed to have been covered by mud.

The economic cost totalled 7.1 billion pesos (173 million U.S. dollars). The Philippine Department of Agriculture reported 26,160 hectares of crops in 18 provinces in Mindanao were affected⁴ with estimated losses of 3,149 metric tons of palay and 1,523 tons of corn.

Up to now, 20 bridges and 9 roads are still not passable, six areas are experiencing interruption in water supply. More than 114, 583 houses were damaged.

The government has started constructing 63 bunkhouses as temporary shelter for the homeless in Mindanao, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Monday.

The bunkhouses, each accommodating 10 families, will be built in the hardest-hit municipalities of Banganga, Boston and Cateel in Davao Oriental, and New Bataan in Compostela Valley.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。