Philippines Storm Tembin erases villages and kills more than 180 on Mindanao island

More than 180 people are reported to have died and 160 have gone missing after tropical storm Tembin struck Mindanao island in the Philippines on Saturday (23 December).

Storm Tembin brought severe flooding and mudslides to part of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines over the weekend.

The storm brought winds of up to 80km/h (50 mph) across the island and is heading towards the province of Palawan before moving further west.

At least 75 people were reported dead in the Zamboanga peninsula and 58 people are said to be missing.

"The floodwaters from the mountain came down so fast and swept away people and houses," Mayor Bong Edding of the Sibuco town on the Zamboanga peninsula said. "It's really sad because Christmas is just a few days away, but these things happen beyond our control."

The rest of the deaths reportedly occurred in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

A police officer told AFP that there were at least 19 deaths in the town of Tubod, in Lanao del Norte.

"The river rose and most of the homes were swept away. The village is no longer there," he said.

Rescue workers were digging through the mud to try and recover bodies but they were making little progress because of the rocks, he said.

Storm Tembin is the latest typhoon to hit the Philippines. Around 20 typhoons and storms, mostly from the Pacific, strike the Philippines each year.

Last week, storm Kai-Tak pounded the central island province of Biliran and killed more than 30 people.

Mindanao is still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people and affected millions in 2013.

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