'Mario' death toll climbs to 7

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical cyclone "Mario" caused the deaths of three other people besides the initial count of four, a state agency said Saturday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Undersecretary Alexander Pama said that the seven recorded fatalities were the latest confirmed dead due to severe floods and winds brought by the last storm.

Pama said in a radio interview that two victims died Friday in Antipolo City and Quezon City, among the areas weather bureau PAGASA declared under red rainfall warning on Friday as Mario battered northern tip of the country but affecting the rest of Luzon and Visayas.

Two other 22-year-olds, meanwhile, perished after being electrocuted at the University of Santo Tomas and in Cubao area in Quezon City.

Besides the two-year-old child from Bagong Silangan, Quezon City who was earlier reported dead, a month-old baby as well as a 69-year-old woman in Rodriguez, Rizal and a 31-year-old man from Nueva Vizcaya was counted among the fatalities on Friday.

NDRRMC reported that at least 118,000 families were affected by the weather disturbance.

For more updates on "Mario," proceed to our weather page.