Half of Manila submerged after deluge

Relentless rains yesterday submerged half of the capital, Manila, triggering a landslide that killed nine and sent emergency crews scrambling to rescue tens of thousands of residents.

The deluge, the worst since 2009 when hundreds died in flash floods, was set off by the seasonal monsoon that caused major dams and rivers to overflow in Manila and surrounding provinces.

The capital and other parts of the country were already saturated from last week's Typhoon Saola, which battered Manila and the north, claiming 53 lives before blowing away on Friday.

"It's like a water world," said Benito Ramos, head of the government's disaster response agency. He said the rains flooded 50 per cent of metropolitan Manila on Monday evening, and about 30 per cent remained under waist- or neck-deep waters yesterday.