Tropical storm Megi hits Philippines, leaving at least 42 dead
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
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, AFP reported.
The storm made landfall on Sunday with sustained winds of up to 65 kilometres (40 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 80 kph (49 mph). Megi is the first storm to hit the archipelago this year, which sees around 20 such storms annually, reports Reuters.
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.
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Images shared by the local fire bureau on Monday showed rescuers wading through near partially submerged homes and digging for survivors in a landslide-hit area.
Tropical storm Megi is expected to weaken to 45 km per hour and move back out over sea on Tuesday, the state weather bureau said.
