Philippine rescuers raced on Thursday to reach residents stranded by fast-rising floodwaters after torrential rains from Tropical Storm Trami submerged villages and killed 26 people.
Schools and government offices were shuttered across the northern Philippines as the storm made landfall on the country's main island of Luzon after first paving a trail of destruction south of the capital.
"The rain is not stopping, so the floods are going up fast. We have received countless reports asking for rescue," Batangas province rescue official April Serrano told AFP.
A hospital in the Batangas town of Lemery, about 97km south of Manila, was forced to turn away patients as its wards and emergency rooms were flooded, according to the provincial health office.
On Luzon's western coast, a surge warning was raised in Pangasinan province at 0600 GMT, with officials estimating waves could reach as high as 6.6 feet.
In the hardest-hit Bicol region's Naga city and Nabua municipality, rescuers were using boats to reach residents stranded on rooftops.
"They are seeking assistance through (Facebook) posts and that's how we learned about them," Bicol police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib told AFP.
