More than 900 people were killed and almost 80,000 others were left homeless in the Philippines a week and a half after typhoon Bopha devastated the southeast Asian nation, the Philippine government announced Thursday. The death toll, which was set at 902, is likely to rise to 934, according to government officials, as many others remain unaccounted for. The United Nations has issued a worldwide appeal for $65 million in aid for the Philippines, where the typhoon caused damages worth more than $350 million. On Dec. 3, Bopha tore through the southern island of Mindanao before crossing the central Philippines. Most of the deaths were in Mindanao. Ten days later, almost 80,000 people were in evacuation centers as the typhoon destroyed 61,000 homes and damaged 88,000 others, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said his government is drawing up plans for forced relocation of entire communities that are within "geohazard" areas.
