Typhoon Death Toll Closer to 2,000, Not 10,000 as Widely Estimated

The Philippine President says death toll has been vastly overestimated

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Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

A woman carrying a child cries as they and other survivors of Supertyphoon Haiyan wait to board an aircraft during an evacuation in the Philippine town of Tacloban on Nov. 12, 2013

Since Supertyphoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on Friday, a well-publicized estimate that the storm killed 10,000 people has circulated throughout several news outlets. However, President Benigno Aquino III told CNN on Tuesday that those numbers were far too high.

“So far 2,000, about 2,500, is the number we are working with as far as deaths are concerned,” he said. A total of 1,774 bodies have been counted, and 2,487 people were injured.

The monster storm left a scene of devastation in its wake. At least 800,000 people have been displaced on six Philippine islands, the U.N. said Tuesday.

[CNN]