Most of the victims were on the southern island of Mindanao, around Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to higher ground, the authorities say.

Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster rescue agency, said reports were still coming in and the casualty figures could rise.

Rivers burst their banks after 25mm of rain fell in 24 hours.

A military spokesman, Colonel Leopoldo Galon, said an entire army division - some 10,000 soldiers - was involved in the rescue efforts around Cagayan de Oro.

ligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz said floods had swamped at least 10 villages on the city's outskirts.

He said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off the coastal city for survivors or bodies. 

The Philippines are struck by about 20 major storms every year.

Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae battered the country within days of each other in September, leaving more than 100 people dead.