The death toll in floods and landslides triggered by more than three weeks of heavy rains in the Philippines has risen to 40, the government said Wednesday, dpa reported.
Among the latest fatalities were seven people who drowned Monday and Tuesday in floods that swamped a large area in the eastern provinces of Northern Samar and Eastern Samar.
More than 1 million people were displaced because of the bad weather that has affected the eastern and southern Philippines since late December, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Council said.
Damage to agriculture, infrastructure and private property was estimated to have reached at least 898.25 million pesos (20.41 million dollars), the agency said.
In some of the affected areas, roads were blocked by floods that reached more than 3 metres, authorities said.
The weather bureau said the bad weather was caused by the tail end of a cold front. No cyclone was monitored in Philippine territory.