台风在菲律宾造成的遇难人数不断增加

Philippine disaster authorities struggled Wednesday to cope with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Bopha that left hundreds of people dead or missing and drove tens of thousands from their homes. Meanwhile, officials tried to tally the economic damage to the already poor southern regions that were hardest hit.

菲律宾救灾部门周三艰难应对台风“宝霞(Bopha)带来的破坏。这场台风已造成数百人死亡或失踪，数万人无家可归。同时，菲律宾官员也在努力统计受灾最严重的南部贫困地区的经济损失。

Rescue teams struggled to reach isolated residents in places that the storm churned into a sea of mud, upended trees, toppled electrical poles and flattened buildings or tore off their roofs. Wide areas were without electricity for the second day. The government used trucks and boats to bring food, blankets, medicines and cadaver bags to stricken areas.

救援队难以向受困民众伸出援手，因为暴风雨已将那些民众所处的地方变成泥潭，树木被连根拔起，电线杆倒落，有点房屋被夷为平地，有的屋顶被掀翻。很多地区已连续两天没有电力供应。菲律宾政府通过卡车和小船向受灾地区运送食物、毯子、药品和尸袋。

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council put the death toll at 274, with only 26 people identified, and said 339 people were injured. But officials feared the toll would increase significantly as isolated areas are reached by rescuers and more fatalities among the hundreds of people listed as missing are verified. The Associated Press reported the overall death count neared 300.

菲律宾国家减灾风险管理委员会(National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council)给出的因灾死亡数字是325人，另有411人受伤，373人失踪。但有官员担心，在救援者抵达被困地区以及数百名被列为失踪的人员有更多被确认遇难后，死亡人数将会大幅攀升。美联社(Associated Press)报道，台风“宝霞已导致菲律宾共近350人遇难，约400人失踪。

Fe Maestre, spokeswoman for the government of hardest-hit Compostela Valley province, said that as of noon Wednesday authorities had counted 156 dead in the province, with 111 alone from New Bataan--the town where an outpost of soldiers who were supposed to lead the rescue efforts was destroyed by a flash flood.

菲律宾孔波斯特拉山谷省政府发言人梅斯特(Fe Maestre)说，经有关部门统计，截至周三正午该省有156人遇难，仅新巴丹(New Bataan)就有111人遇难。该镇有军队驻扎，本想让军队领导救灾，但军营被突发山洪冲毁。

The economic damage to infrastructure and agriculture could run into billions of pesos (tens of millions of dollars), provincial officials said, with several bridges cut, roads washed out, power lines severed, and banana, coconut, vegetable and rubber plantations ruined. But the area doesn't have significant industry, and most economic activity is small-scale farming or gold mining.

菲律宾政府官员说，“宝霞给基础设施和农业带来的经济损失可达数十亿菲律宾比索(合数千万美元)，有几处桥梁被截断，多条道路被冲毁，输电线被破坏，香蕉、椰子、蔬菜和橡胶种植园被毁。不过，该地没有重要的工业，大多数经济活动都是小规模农业或金矿开采。

Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster and relief council, said it was 'premature' for the government to estimate the damage caused by Bopha while the storm was still on Philippine territory. But officials in the stricken provinces were already counting the costs and painting a grim picture of lives and livelihoods destroyed.

菲律宾国家减灾风险管理委员会负责人拉莫斯(Benito Ramos)说，由于“宝霞还在菲律宾境内，政府现在估计这场台风造成的损失还为时过早。但菲律宾受灾省份的官员已在统计损失，描述了生命罹难和生计被毁的严峻形势。

Ms. Maestre said that several bridges were damaged and that the impact on agriculture could be extensive, with around 70% of the province's crops damaged.

梅斯特说，有几处桥梁受损，农业可能受到广泛影响，孔波斯特拉山谷省约有70%的农作物受损。

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas III said an aerial survey of affected areas showed hectares of fallen coconut and banana trees, while '6 inches of mud slurry' covered the town of New Bataan, with a population of around 48,000. 'There's hardly any structure in New Bataan that isn't damaged,' he said in a television interview.

菲律宾内政部长罗哈斯(Manuel Roxas III)说，对受灾地区的航空勘测显示，大片大片的椰子树和香蕉树被吹倒，覆盖新巴丹镇的泥浆厚度达6英寸(约合15厘米)。罗哈斯接受电视台采访时说，新巴丹几乎没有哪个建筑没有受损了。

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said many of the evacuees will likely stay in relief centers for months because of the extent of the devastation.

菲律宾社会福利部长索利曼(Corazon Soliman)说，鉴于这场灾难的破坏程度，很多被疏散人员可能不得不在救援中心生活数月之久。

The national disaster council estimated that almost 180,000 people were in evacuation centers.

据菲律宾国家减灾风险管理委员会估计，有近18万人住在疏散中心。

The weather bureau said that Bopha, which means 'blossom' in Khmer, is expected to exit Philippine territory by late Thursday. It is the 16th typhoon to enter Philippine territory this year but is the strongest to strike the south in two decades. It packed gusts reaching as much as 210 kilometers per hour before it made landfall.

菲律宾气象局说，预计台风“宝霞将于周四晚离开菲律宾。“宝霞的英文名在高棉语中是开花的意思。这是今年进入菲律宾境内的第16场台风，也是20年来袭击该国南部地区的最强台风。“宝霞登陆前，其阵风风速最高达每小时210公里。