Iran MP condoles Philippines over typhoon deaths

Chairman of Iran- Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group Nasrollah Pejmanfar has extended a message of condolences to his Filipino counterpart Simeon Datumanong over the devastating Typhoon Haiyan, which has left hundreds of people dead in the Southeast Asian country.

On Monday, Pejmanfar also expressed sympathy with the people and government of the Philippines as well as families of the victims.

On Saturday, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani offered condolences to the Philippine parliament and senate speakers over the deadly Typhoon Haiyan that has killed thousands of people in that country.

In separate messages to the Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and the Senate Speaker Franklin Drilon, Larijani sympathized with the Philippine government and nation, as well as the families of the disaster’s victims.

In its latest update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 3,631 people were confirmed dead as of 20:00 local time (12:00 GMT). The number of injured stood at 12,487, while 1,187 people are officially listed as missing.

Meanwhile, health officials are warning of imminent outbreak of infectious diseases in the storm’s wake.

“The population is at increased risk of tetanus as well as outbreaks of acute respiratory infections, measles, leptospirosis and typhoid fever,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the main international conduit for distributing relief to the Philippines, has said.

The basic health infrastructures “are severely damaged in the worst affected areas and medical supplies are low,” the agency pointed out.

Haiyan, one of the strongest storms recorded on earth, pounded the eastern Philippine island of Samar during the early hours of November 8, before barreling into six central islands.