Tropical Storm Nalgae hits Philippines, kills 45 people

In the Philippines, Tropical Storm Nalgae has caused at least 45 fatalities and several injuries, according to the nation's disaster office on Saturday.

After the storm, locally referred to as Paeng, hit land on Friday with gusts of 75 kilometres per hour (46 miles per hour), 14 more persons were still unaccounted for.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council first reported a death toll of 72; this number has now been lowered lower. According to state media, the group attributed the initial figure to a local official "overcount."

The storm was most severe in the southern provinces and cities. On the island of Mindanao, in the city of Cotabatao, where over 67,000 people have been impacted by the storm, a "state of calamity" has been proclaimed.

According to the disaster council, the neighbouring town of Upi, which has a population of just 60,000, has been completely submerged, forcing thousands of residents to seek higher ground.

Over 8,000 individuals have been temporarily forced homeless as a result of the storm, according to authorities, who estimate that nearly 185,000 people have been impacted nationwide.

Photos and videos of the search and rescue operations showed people trapped on rooftops as well as bodies being dragged from the muck and water.

As Nalgae passes across the major island of Luzon and moves toward the South China Sea, storms are predicted to affect the capital Manila and adjacent provinces during the weekend.

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