42 killed as Tropical Storm Megi pounds Philippines, bringing landslides and flooding
- More than 13,000 people fled to emergency shelters as fields were submerged, roads cut off and power knocked out
- Some houses were buried in mud up to the rooftops in the hard-hit province of Leyte
The death toll from the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year rose to 42 on Tuesday, as rescuers recovered more bodies from villages devastated by rain-induced landslides.
Emergency personnel suspended the search for survivors around Baybay City, in the central province of Leyte, in the late afternoon as it was “too dangerous” to continue in the dark, said Marissa Miguel Cano, public information officer for the city government.
More than 13,000 people fled to emergency shelters as the storm pounded the region Sunday, the national disaster agency said, flooding houses, inundating fields, cutting off roads and knocking out power.
Photos posted on Facebook and verified by Agence France-Presse show several houses buried in mud up to the rooftops in Bunga, one of the affected villages in Leyte.
“Yesterday the rain was so hard, it was non-stop for more than 24 hours,” resident Hannah Cala Vitangcol said.
