Tropical storm leaves 8 dead in Philippines

Manila, June 4 Philippine authorities have said the death toll from the tropical storm Choi-wan hitting the Southeast Asian country has risen to eight.

At least 15 people, including two children, are still missing, Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying on Thursday.

Tropical storm Choi-wan made landfall on Tuesday, triggering floods and landslides in the central and southern Philippines.

Most of the victims died from drowning or were buried in landslides.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the storm affected more than 45,000 people in the southern Philippines.

The national weather bureau reported that Choi-wan was spotted 255 km west of Ilocos Sur province in the northern Philippines.

The storm was moving northwestward at 25 km per hour, delivering winds at 65 km per hour with gusts of up to 90 km per hour, the bureau added.

Typhoons and tropical storms regularly batter the Philippines, claiming lives and causing heavy damages.