Published: 09:38, October 28, 2024 | Updated: 12:36, October 28, 2024
Death toll in tropical storm Trami in Philippines climbs to 116, 39 missing
By Xinhua
Residents gather what they can from their damaged homes on Saturday, Oct 26, 2024 after being struck by a landslide triggered by Tropical Storm Trami in Talisay, Batangas province, Philippines. (PHOTO / AP)

MANILA - The death toll in catastrophic flooding and landslides triggered by tropical storm Trami that slammed into the Philippines last week has risen to 116, with at least 39 people remaining unaccounted for, the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday.

Local authorities said Trami dumped two months of rain, impacting over 6.7 million people across 17 of the country's regions.

The search continues for 39 missing people who were either buried in landslides or washed away by the floods.

Trami, the 11th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, barreled across the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction with disastrous flooding and landslides on Luzon Island, particularly in the Bicol and Calabarzon regions, and areas in the central and southern Philippines.

ALSO READ: Tropical storm Trami's death toll in Philippines climbs to 90, 36 missing

Floodwaters crumbled highways and bridges, paralyzing transport, and flooded homes with mud.

Three days after Trami exited the Philippines on Friday, disaster victims are still desperately waiting for food and clean water. Many areas still lack potable water or electricity.

Some victims forced to leave their flooded houses at the height of the flooding started returning to their homes as the flood receded on Saturday.

However, the NDRRMC said about 1 million displaced people were still in evacuation centers or staying with relatives.

READ MORE: Tropical Storm Trami kills 46 in Philippines, and could return next week

A man sits on a damaged car after a landslide triggered by Tropical Storm Trami in Talisay, Batangas province, Philippines, Oct 26, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Trami's estimated damage to infrastructure was 1.54 billion pesos (roughly $26.35 million), while damage to agriculture was 2.5 billion pesos ($43 million).

The Philippines is bracing for more rains due to the impact of another tropical cyclone, Kong-rey, which intensified into a severe tropical storm Monday morning over the Philippine Sea, 755 km east of Luzon Island.

Kong-rey is the 12th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year.

ALSO READ: Tropical Storm Trami wreaks havoc in the Philippines, at least 26 dead

Moving westward at 20 km per hour, Kong-rey packs 95 km per hour winds and gusts of up to 115 km per hour.

"This tropical cyclone may also undergo rapid intensification," the bureau warned.

 An average of 20 typhoons lash the Philippines yearly.