Deadly storms hit Philippines

Traffic was paralyzed in the capital Manila

Heavy rains and floods have killed at least 16 people in the Philippines and forced thousands to flee their homes.

Officials predicted more rain in coming days

The Office of Civil Defence said most of the deaths happened on the island of Negros, in the central Philippines, where eight people were killed in landslides.

It said at least another seven people died from electrocution in the province of Rizal, east of the capital, Manila, after a power line fell on a flooded street.

Another person died in Manila's suburb, and four people were reported as still being missing.

Local officials said the tropical depression which had caused the rains - Milenyo - was moving away from the islands, causing winds of 55 km/h (34 mph).

Traffic chaos

The national weather bureau cancelled storm warnings for central and northern provinces, which had been in effect on Monday and Tuesday.

Flooding in the main streets of Manila subsided on Wednesday, after paralysing traffic for several hours on Tuesday.

But officials predicted more rain and clouds in the coming days.

They said the tropical depression was now moving west to the South China Sea at about 15 km/h, and was expected to be completely out of Philippine territory by early Thursday.