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


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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Forecasters said Megi is expected to weaken on Tuesday before moving back out to sea.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein
-
July 30 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include a beast under the surface, new unemployment officers, and more
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
This Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be above average
Under the radar Prepare for strong storms in the coming months
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage