Rescuers pulled the dead from swollen rivers on Monday and thousands were without drinking water, food and power as the death toll from the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in more than four decades climbed to 100.
Officials expected the toll to rise as rescuers penetrate villages blocked off by floating cars and debris since Tropical Storm Ketsana swept through over the weekend, leaving 32 missing.
Overwhelmed authorities were trying to verify scores of unconfirmed deaths, including in several metropolitan Manila cities and nearby Rizal province, where about 99 more people reportedly died, Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.
As tens of thousands of residents began a massive cleanup and the storm left the Philippines, the extent of devastation became clearer - mud-covered communities, car-choked streets and huge numbers of villagers without drinking water, food and power.
Resident Jeff Aquino said floodwaters rose to his home’s third floor at the height of the storm Saturday, when it dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours.
The government has declared a “state of calamity” in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, including many that have not flooded before, allowing officials to use emergency funds for relief and rescue.
