Philippine rescuers are continuing to search for 170 people believed still missing in landslides set off by tropical storm Megi over a week ago, a government spokesperson said on Monday.
Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said that 100 people remained missing in Abuyog town and 70 more in Baybay City, the two areas in the central province Leyte badly hit by Megi.
"We are not losing hope of recovering more survivors," said Army Colonel Noel Vestuir, the military commander involved in the rescue and retrieval operation in the province.
The death toll from the landslides and flooding spawned by Megi has risen to 172. Of the total, the NDRRMC said 169 died in central Philippines and three others in southern Philippines.
Megi dumped rains in central and southern Philippine regions before and after it hit land on April 10, inundating many areas and triggering landslides in several villages in Leyte province.
The central Philippines is in the typhoon alley and usually the gateway of typhoons to the country. Landslides and flash floods are common across the Philippines during the rainy season, especially when typhoons hit.
The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, mainly due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon belt.
On average, this archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons every year, some of which are intense and destructive. Megi is the first storm to batter the Southeast Asian country this year.
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