The death toll of Typhoon Mindulle that whipped the northern Philippines earlier this week has reached 31 and is expected to rise as 11 others remain unaccountedas of Saturday morning, a government agency said.

At least 22 people have been injured by the typhoon which has also destroyed more than 14,120 houses, affecting some 577, 470 people, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said in a report.

Damages to agriculture and infrastructure were estimated at 1.1billion pesos (19.6 million US dollars), the report said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Saturday authorized the provincial government of Cagayan to declare a state of calamity intyphoon-ravaged areas to speed up relief efforts.

She also ordered NDCC Chairman Eduardo Ermita to release an initial amount of 1 million pesos (17,000 dollars) as relief assistance to victims of the bad weather.

"No farmer will be turned away from assistance for lack of money as long as the calamity stands," Arroyo said.

Arroyo boarded a navy rubber boat on Friday to distribute relief goods to nearly 200,000 residents in Cagayan province, which bore the brunt of the typhoon.

Source: Xinhua