By Jonathan Head and Laurence Peter
BBC News, Bangkok and London
A terrible tropical tempest has killed astatine slightest 45 radical successful the Philippines, unleashing floods and landslides successful confederate provinces, officials say.
Storm Nalgae caused the astir havoc successful Maguindanao province, connected Mindanao island. There is extended flooding successful and astir the metropolis of Cotabato.
Nalgae is sweeping north, wherever the superior Manila expects torrential rain.
Rescuers pulled galore bodies from heavy mud aft landslides. The tempest winds are gusting astatine up to 95km/h (59 mph).
The Coast Guard has suspended ferry services successful overmuch of the archipelago, wherever galore radical question by vessel daily. The Coast Guard is evacuating galore radical to shelters.
Heavy rainfall began connected Thursday and the tempest is expected to scope its highest this weekend. The tempest has besides forced immoderate schools to adjacent and buses to halt running.
Earlier connected Saturday officials gave a decease toll of 72, but that has been revised down.
The Philippines typically experiences 20 typhoons oregon tropical storms annually. They travel from the Pacific Ocean, and Nalgae is not a peculiarly beardown 1 - it is, however, precise large, covering overmuch of the country, and precise wet.
Some areas person recorded their highest ever regular rainfall. Flash floods and landslides are ever 1 of the top dangers successful the Philippines, with its unstable geography and deforested mountains.
Warnings person been issued implicit imaginable mudslides connected the slopes of the biggest volcanoes.
The exigency services are good practised successful responding to large storms, but the immense volumes of h2o person made rescuing stranded radical difficult.