By DPA
Manila : The death toll in two typhoons, Mitag and Hagibis, that battered a large part of the Philippines has risen to 22, the Office of Civil Defence said Wednesday.
Fourteen people were also reported missing after the two typhoons swept through 19 eastern, northern and western provinces of the country.
Both typhoons have weakened to tropical depressions as they moved out of the country, the weather bureau said.
The victims included three people who drowned when their motorboat capsized off Batangas province, south of Manila, late Tuesday.
The coast guard said six people were also reported missing in the accident.
The office added that many displaced residents have returned to their homes amid the improving weather, and the number of people in evacuation centres has gone down to 56,000.
At the height of Mitag’s onslaught, more than 200,000 people cramped evacuation centres in the affected provinces.
Hagibis had already left 13 people dead in the Philippines last week.
The weather bureau said Mitag was expected to merge with Hagibis as the storms moved out of the country. The bureau, however, warned that a new weather disturbance would bring more rains over the weekend.