Landslides claim more lives in Philippines

More than 100 people are now said to have been killed by fresh flooding and landslides in the northern Philippines.

A week of relentless rain has left dozens of towns and villages under water and forced authorities to evacuate thousands of people from coastal regions.

The rain, brought by Typhoon Parma, first hit the country last Saturday and has since hovered around the north part of the main island of Luzon.

Although it has weakened into a tropical depression, scores have died in landslides in the mountainous Benguet province.

Swollen rivers and reservoirs have forced dams to release water, further flooding areas downstream.

These latest pictures show how some towns and farmlands have been transformed into giant lakes, dotted with buildings and trees.

A previous storm, Ketsana, inundated areas in
and around the capital Manila, killing more than 300 people and leaving half a million others homeless.

Copyright © 2009 euronews

tags: Flood, Natural disasters, Philippines