40 Koreans feared missing after Philippines typhoon

Up to 40 South Koreans are believed to be missing after a Philippine island was ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan last week, Seoul officials said Monday.

The Korean Embassy in Manila said it has been receiving reports of missing family members and friends on Leyte and Samar islands since Friday.

The embassy dispatched two diplomats and an assistant to nearby Cebu island early Monday, while two officials each from Seoul’s Foreign Ministry and the National Emergency Management Agency were scheduled to arrive there that night.

But search progress looks to be delayed as access remains highly limited due to damaged roads, communications equipment and other infrastructure, ministry officials said.

Later in the day, the ministry convened a meeting of its emergency relief team consisting of officials responsible for humanitarian assistance, consular services and Southeast Asian affairs to discuss its response and emergency funds and relief supplies. The final decision will be made at another meeting of related ministries and relief organizations early Tuesday, they added.

President Park Geun-hye is also expected to deliver her consolation to her Filipino counterpart Benigno Aquino III this week.

“Having difficulty figuring out the whereabouts of our citizens, we will strive to come up with the most effective emergency response possible,” Shin Dong-ik, deputy minister for multilateral and global affairs, said at the onset of the session.

“As the U.S., the U.K., the U.N. and others are planning to send more assistance than expected given the tremendous damage, we will try to provide the greatest support possible in consultation with related ministries.”

Local officials and media estimated the death toll in Tacloban, the island’s central city, to be as high as 10,000. Almost 620,000 people were displaced and 9.5 million affected across nine regions, the U.N.’s office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

(heeshin@heraldcorp.com)