Landslides and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Megi have claimed at least 115 lives in the Philippines, according to the latest official reports released Thursday.
Dozens of people are still missing as the storm, the strongest to hit the archipelago this year, has forced tens of thousands of people to seek refuge in evacuation centres.
In the central province of Leyte, the worst affected, devastating landslides have destroyed farming and fishing communities, sweeping away homes and transforming the landscape.
The disaster-prone region is regularly ravaged by storms – including Super Typhoon Haiyan which hit it in 2013 – and scientists warn they are getting more powerful as the planet heats up due to climate change. by the man.
Rescuers from the municipality of Abuyog recovered dozens of bodies from a coastal village destroyed by a landslide on Tuesday.
At least 26 people have been killed and around 150 are missing, authorities say, warning there is little hope of finding others alive.
Last weekend, another 86 people were killed and dozens injured in vegetable, rice and coconut-growing villages around the town of Baybay, according to local authorities.
More than 100 people are still missing. Three people also drowned on the main southern island of Mindanao, the national disaster agency said in its latest update.