Seven dead, thousands displaced in Manila floods

Residents wade through a flooded street in Binakayan township, Cavite province, south of Manila, Philippines Monday, Aug. 19, 2013. Torrential rains brought the Philippine capital to a standstill Monday, submerging some areas in waist-deep floodwaters and making streets impassable to vehicles while thousands of people across coastal and mountainous northern regions fled to emergency shelters. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Seven people were killed and more than 130,000 displaced in floods that crippled the Philippine capital for the second day Tuesday, disaster relief officials said.

More than half of Manila was flooded, with the murky waters reaching as high as 2 metres in some areas, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Schools, government offices, the stock exchange and some businesses were closed as floods made many roads impassable, including streets in the financial district of Makati City.

More than half a million people were affected by the bad weather in Manila and northern provinces that have been affected by torrential monsoon rains since the weekend.

The disaster risk management council said 131,198 people were forced to flee their homes and stay in evacuation centres or with family and friends.

It added that most of the seven fatalities died due to drowning.

Four people were missing, including three feared to have drowned in floods or swollen rivers.