A tropical storm that hit the Philippines after Christmas Day has killed at least 15 people and left six people missing, civil defence officials said Friday. Tropical Storm Wukong battered central and eastern provinces Wednesday, causing floods that affected more than 28,000 people, the Office of Civil Defence said. Most of the fatalities drowned while others were hit by falling trees or electrical posts or suffered a heart attack, said Rosario Cabrera, a regional civil defence director.

"The missing were swept away by strong currents while crossing swollen rivers," she said. Wukong weakened after crossing the central region of Visayas and the weather bureau has lowered all storm signals. On December 4, Typhoon Bopha slammed into the southern region of Mindanao, causing massive floods and landslides that killed 1,067 people and left 834 missing and feared dead. Nearly 1 million people were still in need of relief and shelter after Bopha, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, wiped out entire villages.

Copyright Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2012