The death toll from the massive typhoon that devastated the Philippines is likely to be around 8,000 less than first feared, it’s been claimed.
Philippines’ president Benigno Aquino said between 2,000 and 2,500 were killed, rather than the 10,000 figure widely reported.
“The figure right now I have is about 2,000, but this might still get higher,” Aquino told CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour in an interview was posted on CNN’s website.
“Ten thousand, I think, is too much,” he told CNN. “There was emotional drama involved with that particular estimate.”
It comes as stories begin to emerge from Tacloban, one of the worst hit areas, while has also seen looting.
Meanwhile the country’s climate change commissioner, Naderev Saño, said alterations to global temperatures could mean more intense typhoons in the future.