Philippines storm toll rises sharply

Terra Daily via AFP: The death toll from Typhoon Son-Tinh in the Philippines rose sharply to 24 Saturday as casualty reports came in from isolated central islands and the far-flung south, the government said. Drowning and landslides were given as the cause of 11 deaths on small islands in the country's mid-section, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in its latest tally.

The other 13 victims were carried away by flash floods, buried by landslides, hit by falling trees and flying debris, electrocuted, or died from exposure to the cold, it added.

The official death toll from the typhoon, which was classed as a weaker "tropical storm" when it passed over the Philippines, had stood at six on Friday.

Eight fishermen from the central and southern Philippines remained missing at sea, the government agency said...