Death toll from storm Megi in Philippines rises to 138

Manila, April 15 The death toll from tropical storm Megi that battered the Philippines rose to 138, said the authorities.

Central and southern parts of the Philippines were hit by flooding and massive landslides last Saturday and Sunday, with the central Leyte province being the worst affected with 132 deaths.

The Baybay City government on Thursday said in a report that 101 bodies have been retrieved so far from the landslides in several villages in the city. Police said 31 bodies were recovered in Abuyog town in Leyte province, one in Samar province and two in Cebu province.

The Philippine military said 159 areas in the provinces of Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Iloilo in central Philippines were inundated as of Wednesday even as Megi dissipated, Xinhua news agency reported.

Megi, which hit land last Sunday, is the first tropical storm this year to hit the Southeast Asian country. The Philippines archipelago which lies on the Pacific typhoon belt is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms every year as one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

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