Dozens killed in Philippines landslides and floods as tropical storm Megi hits

Rescuers hampered by mud and rain have used their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central Philippines, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 42.

More than 17,000 people fled their homes as the storm pummelled the disaster-prone region in recent days, flooding houses, severing roads and knocking out power.

At least 36 people died and 26 were missing after landslides slammed into villages around Baybay City in Leyte province – the hardest hit by the storm – local authorities said. More than 100 people were injured.

Three people were also killed in the central province of Negros Oriental and three on the main southern island of Mindanao, according to the national disaster agency.

Most of the deaths in Leyte were in the mountainous village of Mailhi ,where 14 bodies were found, army captain Kaharudin Cadil told Agence France-Presse.