The death toll from floods in the southern Philippines has climbed to 1,453 as rescuers retrieved decomposing bodies, the Office of Civil Defence said Tuesday, dpa reported.
The port city of Cagayan de Oro suffered the most deaths at 891, while 461 people were killed in nearby Iligan City from the December 17 floods triggered by Tropical Storm Washi.
The disaster relief agency said floods and landslides also killed 47 people in the southern province of Bukidnon, 39 on the central island of Negros and 15 in other southern provinces.
The agency said it had verified 84 people missing in the disaster and was checking reports of 1,023 unaccounted-for victims. Authorities said some of the missing could be among the unidentified dead.