The death toll from landslides and floods in the Philippines rose to 59 on Wednesday, official figures show, as rescuers dug up more bodies with bare hands and backhoes in villages crushed by rain-induced avalanches.
Most of the deaths from tropical storm Megi — the strongest to hit the archipelago nation this year — were in the central province of Leyte, where a series of landslides devastated communities.
Rescuers used boats to reach survivors in Pilar, a village of about 400 people in Abuyog municipality, where a torrent of mud and earth pushed houses into the sea on Tuesday and police reported five deaths.
A rumbling sound like “a helicopter” alerted Ara Mae Canuto, 22, to the landslide hurtling towards her family’s home. She tried to outrun it but was swept into the water and nearly drowned.
