Manila, July 31 (IANS) The toll from tropical storm Nock-ten that hit the Philippines earlier this week has risen to 52, an official said Sunday.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director Benito Ramos said rescuers continue to search for 27 missing people, Xinhua reported.

Nock-ten’s total damage to properties has reached over 1.2 billion pesos (around $28 million), Ramos said.

The storm has also destroyed around 500 houses and displaced over 968,000 people from several Philippine provinces.