01 October,2009 10:45 AM IST | | AFP
The death toll in the Philippines from flooding unleashed by tropical storm Ketsana has risen by more than 30 to 277, the government said on Thursday.
Aside from the 277 people confirmed killed, 42 people remain missing, the National Disaster Coordination Council said. Tropical storm Ketsana dumped the heaviest rains in more than 40 years on Manila and neighbouring parts of Luzon island on Saturday.
The number of people affected by the storm has climbed to 2.5 million people, the council said, up nearly 300,000 from the previous day's estimate.