Philippines floods

Over 73 dead and thousands by heaviest rain for 40 years

Article published on the 2009-09-27 Latest update 2009-09-28 08:32 TU

Rescuers assist residents from floodwaters in Cainta Rizal east of Manila
(Photo: Reuters)

At least 73 people have been killed and 330,000 people are homeless, after Tropical Storm Ketsana caused the heaviest rainfall on record in the Philippines. Military helicopters and rubber boats have been deployed in a rescue effort which continues Sunday.

"I am calling on our countrymen ... to please stay calm," said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She set a deadline of nightfall Sunday for the rescue of thousands of people stranded on rooftops by floods caused by nine hours rainfall which started Saturday. 

As well as the 73 confirmed dead, at least 23 people are missing, according to Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro. Recuers fear that more bodies will be found as floodwaters recede.

Nearly 280,000 people in Manila and five outlying provinces are displaced. More than 41,000 are already in evacuation centres, Teodoro said, while 5,000 stranded people had been rescued by Sunday afternoon.

Tropical storm Ketsana eased on Sunday, after leaving parts of Manila under six metres of water. Almost 80 per cent of the capital was under water on Sunday, according to Philippine Red Cross chairperson Gwendolyn Pang.

The government's chief weather forecaster, Prisco Nilo, blamed climate change for the severity of the storm.

He said total rainfall was 41.6 centimetres, breaking the previous single-day record of 33.4 centimetres in July 1967.