Death toll from Christmas rains, floods in Philippines now at 13

Torrential rains forced more than 45,000 people into evacuation centres

The death toll from Christmas day rains and flooding in the southern Philippines has risen to 13, according to the country’s disaster management council, with a further 23 people still missing, Qazet.az reports.

Most of the deaths were caused by flash floods after two days of heavy rains over Christmas, which affected more than 166,000 people and forced more than 45,000 to take shelter in evacuation centres, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Tuesday.