A series of landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 168 people in mountainous provinces of the northern Philippines, officials said on Friday.
The number of confirmed deaths, across three provinces in the Cordillera region, rose sharply from 91 dead listed earlier in the day by police.
At least 120 people were confirmed dead in Benguet province alone as landslides struck yesterday night and this morning in five towns, said provincial governor Nestor Fongwan.
"The damage in the region is massive. We have several reports of landslides across the region, especially in Benguet. Bodies are being recovered," warned provincial civil defence chief Olive Luces.
In the mountain resort city of Baguio, 25 people were killed as landslides buried whole houses in different neighbourhoods, said city administrator and civil defence official Peter Fianza.
A landslide also left 23 dead in Mountain Province with 20 dead in one town alone, said provincial governor Maximo Dalog.
The northern Philippines has been pounded by heavy rain since Typhoon Parma hit the country on Saturday.
Parma weakened into a tropical depression but has lingered over the north of the Philippines' main island of Luzon. PTI
