Philippines Flooding Leaves 16 Dead in Manila

At least 16 people have been killed in floods caused by monsoon rains that have left an estimated 80% of the Philippine capital Manila under water.

More than 800,000 people have sought help from rescue workers, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Nearly 250,000 of them have been forced to shelter in schools, gymnasiums and other buildings that have been turned into evacuation centres, while others were staying with relatives and friends.

The worst hit parts of Manila were mostly the poorest districts, where millions of slum dwellers have built homes along riverbanks, the swampy surrounds of a huge lake, canals and other areas susceptible to flooding.

Sixteen people have been confirmed killed in the latest barrage of rain that began on Monday.

In the worst reported incident, nine people from the same family died on Tuesday in a landslide on a mountainous area near the city's main reservoir where some of the poorest city dwellers live.

"They were buried alive. It happened suddenly. We heard a crash, and then people crying out in pain," a neighbour said.

One of the dead was a three-week-old baby, according to the disaster council.

Tuesday's deaths bring the number of people killed by the rains across the Philippines since late July to 69, according to authorities.

The Philippines endures about 20 major storms or typhoons each rainy season, many of which are deadly.

But this week's floods in Manila, a huge city of 15 million people, were the worst since 2009, when tropical storm Ketsana killed more than 460 people.