<br/>The death toll from a typhoon that hit the Philippines rose sharply to 53 today. Officials said the number of dead can go up further with dozens of others missing days after the disaster.<br/><br/>Hundreds of people are still missing and Air Force helicopters and Navy aircraft are combing the calming seas to find the missing.<br/><br/>Conson struck the main island of Luzon including the capital Manila with surprising ferocity overnight Tuesday after state weather forecasters incorrectly predicted that the typhoon would hit further north.<br/><br/>The first typhoon to batter the country this year destroyed thousands of homes, sank or damaged 62 boats, uprooted trees that crushed people to death, snapped power lines and disrupted aviation.<br/><br/>It took utility firms more than two days to restore electricity to a near paralysed capital.