Philippine flood toll surges by more than 200

The death toll from killer floods in the Philippines surged by more than 200 on Tuesday, more than a week after the disaster struck, with officials expecting more corpses to be found.

The confirmed toll reached 1,453, up sharply from 1,236 the previous day as navy and coastguard ships fished more bodies out of the waters off the southern island of Mindanao, the civil defence office said.

The stench of death pervaded the region, a sign that many corpses still remained unrecovered on land, Ana Caneda, the regional civil defence chief said. AFP News – 46 minutes ago