MANILA -- The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Thursday that 12 more fatalities have been confirmed as typhoon Saola (local name: typhoon Gener) pounded the archipelago, raising the death toll to 26. According to NDRRMC executive officer Benito Ramos, the latest fatalities included four people who drowned in the provinces of Bulacan and Ilocos Sur. A man from the province of Capiz was electrocuted while seven others were struck by falling trees. Ramos added that the four fishermen from the town of Sablayan in the province of Occidental Mindoro, initially reported as missing, have been safely rescued. So far, the number of affected residents has soared to 331,588. About 12,000 of them are currently seeking refuge in 61 evacuation centers. A total of 2,786 homes have either been destroyed or damaged by Saola, and the economic loss has been initially pegged at 2.13 million pesos or approximately $50,993.