Flash floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Fengshen left at least 19 people dead in the Philippines, while an overflowing dam stranded tens of thousands on rooftops.
At least 30,000 people living in Iloilo in the central Philippines had scrambled onto rooftops fleeing the rushing water after the man-made dam overflowed, said the city's acting mayor Jed Mabilog.
Rescuers have reported that many could be missing or killed, though this could not be independently confirmed, he said.
Fengshen, upgraded from a tropical storm yesterday, swept through the country's centre over the weekend, unleashing torrential rains, causing power outages and forcing the evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people.
In the urban centres of Jaro and Iloilo, residents waded through waist-high waters that made roads impassable to vehicles.
The National Power Corporation was forced to shut down its power plant in the area, triggering a blackout across the province.
Roads connecting the southern cities of Cotabato and General Santos on Mindanao island were flooded, while a concrete bridge also collapsed, isolating some villages and towns.
The storm forced more than 200,000 people to seek temporary shelter in the eastern Bicol region, the civil defence office said.
Heavy rains battered the Bicol region overnight, and more than 600 people were stranded in various seaports there.
Fengshen was forecast to dump heavy rain over large swathes of the central Visayas region and parts of the main island of Luzon through Sunday.
Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes were warned about possible flash floods and landslides, while those in coastal areas were cautioned about big waves.
