Typhoon Yolanda death toll nears 6,000, Justin Bieber visits Tacloban

The death toll from super typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) rose to 5,936 (5,582 from the Eastern Visayas) while the affected persons have reached 12 million, according to the latest numbers from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Tuesday.

Other data released by the NDRRMC include over 27,000 injuries were recorded and nearly 1,800 remain missing.

At least 2,615,794 families or 12,355,680 individuals were affected in 12,122 villages in 44 provinces, displacing 883,185 families or 4,056,271 people, the Philippines News Agency reports.

In other news from the Eastern Visayas, pop star Justin Bieber visited  the typhoon-stricken capital of Leyte, Tacloban City to visit with Yolanda victims. (Click here to see some photos of Bieber in Tacloban)

With only a handful of his own bodyguards, Bieber staged his mini-concert at a local village in Tacloban, performing Christmas carols in front of the delighted crowd.

The Canadian born pop sensation started a #GiveBackPhilippines campaign with an aim to raise $1 million for Yolanda (Haiyan) victims.

Bieber will be leaving the Philippines later tonight.

Leyte, Philippines
Image/© Eugene Alvin Villar, 2003. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Seav)