At least 23 killed in landslides, floods from storm in Philippines

At least 23 people were killed in landslides and floods caused by the first tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year, police said Monday.

Rescuers recovered 20 bodies in Baybay City in Leyte province, 599 kilometres south-east of Manila, where dozens of houses were buried in landslides, said Lieutenant Colonel Joemen Collado, the city's police chief.

Other victims were swept away by the raging floodwaters, Collado said.

Three other people were reported killed in floods and landslides in the southern provinces of Davao Oriental and Davao De Oro, the national disaster agency said.