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Rescuers hampered by mud and rain yesterday used their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central Philippines, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 42.

More than 17,000 people fled their homes as the storm pummelled the disaster-prone region in recent days, flooding houses, breaking roads and knocking out power.

At least 36 people died and 26 were missing after landslides slammed into multiple villages around Baybay City in Leyte province - the hardest hit by the storm. More than 100 people were injured.

Three people were also killed in the central province of Negros Oriental and three in Mindanao.

Tropical storm Megi is the first major storm to hit the country this year.

A resident is rescued from the mud in Cantagnos village in Baybay City, Leyte after tropical storm Megi triggered landslides. In Capiz province, a man carries a boy on his shoulders along a flooded road, accompanied by rescue workers. AFP, REUTERS

Frantic rescue efforts as storm toll hits 42