By DPA
Manila : At least 10 people were killed and six were missing in flooding and landslides triggered by weeklong rains in the eastern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said more than 86,000 people were displaced in flash floods in six provinces with impoverished Eastern Samar the worst hit.
Most of the 10 victims drowned, relief officials said.
Ben Evardone, governor of Eastern Samar, said major roads and bridges leading to the province have been damaged and rendered impassable, slowing relief operations.
Evardone said difficulties in communication were also hampering efforts to gather data on victims of the bad weather.
The Philippine National Red Cross said at least 23 people were injured when four rivers overflowed in Samar.
Other provinces battered by heavy rains were Northern Samar, Western Samar, Sorsogon, Oriental Mindoro and Leyte.
The weather bureau said the rains were triggered by a low-pressure system and the tail end of a cold front.