Philippines' Marcos to inspect storm damage as death toll hits 98

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set on Monday to fly over flood-submerged districts to inspect the damage after Tropical Storm Nalgae barrelled across the Southeast Asian country over the weekend, killing at least 98 people.

More than half the deaths were recorded in the southern autonomous region of Bangsamoro, often due to rain-induced landslides, the nation's disaster agency said.

Some 63 people were reported missing, while 69 people were injured, the agency said.

The Bangsamoro region accounted for 53 deaths, with 22 people still missing, it said a bulletin.

Damage to infrastructure due to heavy rains and strong winds was valued at 757.84 million pesos (US$13.07 million, RM61.7 million), while losses in agriculture were estimated at 435.46 million pesos.

Marcos is scheduled on Monday to conduct aerial inspections of submerged villages in Cavite province, near the capital Manila. The leader has expressed shock over the number of deaths, particularly in Maguindanao province in Bangsamoro.

Nalgae, which made landfall five times, was expected to leave the Philippines later on Monday and head towards southern China.

The Philippines sees an average 20 typhoons a year, with frequent landslides and floods blamed in part on the growing intensity of tropical cyclones.