Death toll from tropical storm Nalgae rises to 132, dozens missing in Philippines

MANILA -- At least 132 people have died in the severe tropical storm Nalgae that battered the Philippines over the weekend, the government said Tuesday.

Nalgae, one of the most destructive cyclones that battered the Philippines, triggered flash floods and landslides in many parts of the Southeast Asian country.

The Office of Civil Defense reported a total of 132 deaths as of Monday.

However, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council tallied 110 fatalities, of which 79 were confirmed, while the identities of the other 31 are still being verified. Of the 33 reported missing, the agency confirmed 23, while the identities of the other 10 are still being verified.

The agency said 59 deaths were from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the southern Philippines. At least 16 in the region remain missing.

The rest of the fatalities were from nine regions on the main Luzon island, in the central Philippines, and other areas on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines outside of the BARMM.

The agency said the tropical storm affected over 2.4 million people, damaged 364 roads and 82 bridges, and caused power outages in many areas.

Nalgae is the 16th tropical cyclone to lash the Philippines this year. It slammed into Catanduanes, an island province in the Bicol region, before dawn Saturday.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, mainly due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon belt. On average, the archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons yearly, some of which are intense and destructive.

In April, tropical storm Megi dumped rains in central and southern parts of the Philippines, inundating many areas and causing landslides, resulting in over 220 deaths.