Deaths from Severe Tropical Storm ''Kristine'' climbed to 85 after reports are coming in, said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Sunday.

“The death toll rose quickly because the reports are already coming in. We have adjusted the number from 81 to 85… we will still validate that,” OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said in an interview with dzBB.

“We are still asking for the official report from the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) to check if these deaths are related to the typhoon,” he added.

Nepomuceno said 41 are missing and 70 injured, but they expect them to rise.

He said that most fatalities were in landslides and floods.

Nepomuceno also said that the Bicol and Calabarzon suffered most from “Kristine”.

He noted 123 areas in the country are still affected by floods.

According to Nepomuceno, 108, 153 families or 420,069 individuals are staying in evacuation centers.

In a report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (NDRRMC) said that 79 were reported dead and only nine fatalities in the Bicol Region were confirmed.

Twenty-six were said to be missing, with only one in Central Luzon that was validated while 33 were reported to be injured.

NDRRMC said that crop losses amounted to P1,432,229,305.62, with the Ilocos Region and Central Visayas accounting for the bulk.

Damage to infrastructure reached P825,130,698.30.

NDRRMC said that 218 roads and 40 bridges are still not passable.

It also said that 156 cities and towns experienced power interruptions while 22 areas had water interruptions.

Meanwhile, 50 cities and towns had their communication lines cut.

According to the NDRRMC, 158 cities and towns had declared a state of calamity. Jaspearl Tan/DMS