Philippines reeling after deadly storm

The death toll in the Philippines from Tropical Storm Ketsana had passed the 100 mark by this morning. An official national catastrophe coordinator admitted that the whole emergency system continued to be “overwhelmed”.

The government apologised for rescue delays and appealed for international help. Tens of thousands of Filipinos were marooned by flashfloods. The weather bureau in Manila said Ketsana battered the country with the heaviest rainfall in 40 years. In 24 hours on Saturday, twice as much fell as during Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2005. The Philippines’ death toll is expected to rise.

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