Flooding, mudslides caused by tropical storm Megi kill dozens in the Philippines

Houses in Leyte province are underwater, following flooding caused by tropical storm Megi. — (Image credit: Bobbie Alota/AFP via Getty Images)

At least 25 people were killed in the Philippines after tropical storm Megi triggered severe flooding and landslides, authorities said Monday.

Megi hit the eastern and southern coasts, making landfall on Sunday with sustained winds of up to 40 mph and gusts of up to 49 mph, Reuters reports. It was the first storm to lash the Philippines this year; on average, the country sees about 20 such storms annually.

In the eastern province of Leyte, police reported that they recovered the bodies of 22 people who had been buried under a landslide. Three additional deaths were recorded in the Davao region. Joeman Collado, a police chief in Leyte, told Reuters that search and rescue operations are ongoing, with many rescuers having to maneuver rafts through flooded streets to try to get to homes partially submerged underwater.

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Forecasters said Megi is expected to weaken on Tuesday before moving back out to sea.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.