At least 116 people have died and 39 are missing in the wake of Tropical Storm Trami that swept across the Philippines on Thursday, NPR reported.
Ongoing rescue efforts are being hampered by widespread flooding, landslides, and infrastructure collapses.
Among the deadliest storms to hit the Philippines this year, tropical Storm Trami has affected over 6.7 million people across multiple regions and displaced more than 500,000 people. Local authorities said Trami dumped two months of rain on the country.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that the death toll, currently at 116, may rise as rescuers reach isolated areas.
The province of Batangas, just south of the capital Manila, has been hit especially hard. Provincial police chief Jacinto Malinao confirmed that at least 55 people have lost their lives in Batangas alone.
Many of the casualties were due to rain-induced landslides that bulldozed entire rural communities, burying homes and residents under debris.
The storm led to emergency evacuations across the hardest-hit central regions, including the Bicol region, where officials reported that at least 38 people died, primarily from drowning.
Police in Camarines Sur province, a heavily affected area in Bicol, continued to receive distress calls throughout the weekend. Regional police director Andre Dizon told Al Jazeera that many residents remain trapped on rooftops or upper floors, awaiting rescue as floodwaters subside.
The country is now bracing for more rains due to the impact of another tropical cyclone, Kong-rey, which intensified into a severe tropical storm Monday morning over the Philippine Sea.
The Philippines, situated in a region prone to tropical cyclones, experiences approximately 20 major storms each year. However, recent scientific studies reveal that the storms are intensifying due to climate change, forming closer to coastlines and persisting longer over land.