Sylvie Claire / April 14, 2022
Landslides and floods caused by Tropical Storm Megi have killed at least 115 people in the Philippines, according to the latest official figures released Thursday.
Dozens of people are still missing while the storm, the strongest to hit the archipelago this year, has forced tens of thousands of people to take refuge in evacuation centers.
In the central province of Leyte, the most affected, devastating landslides destroyed farming and fishing communities, sweeping away homes and transforming the landscape.
The disaster-prone region is regularly ravaged by storms - including the super typhoon Haiyan that hit in 2013 - and scientists warn that they are becoming more powerful as the planet warms due to human-induced climate change.
Rescue workers in Abuyog municipality recovered dozens of bodies from a coastal village destroyed by a landslide Tuesday.
At least 26 people have been killed and about 150 are missing, according to authorities who warn that there is little hope of finding others alive.
Last weekend, another 86 people were killed and dozens injured in vegetable, rice and coconut growing villages around the town of Baybay, according to local authorities.
More than 100 people are still missing. Three people also drowned on the main southern island of Mindanao, the national disaster agency said in its latest update.