The typhoon, which had maximum winds of 185km per hour, was the third major storm to hit the Philippines main island of Luzon in just five weeks, with the previous two claiming more than 1,100 lives.

People were again forced onto their rooftops on Saturday to escape floodwaters in Laguna province to the south of Manila that was one of the worst affected by Ketsana.

The typhoon caused power outages and knocked down trees across many areas of Manila, a sprawling city of 12 million people. It also forced flights to be suspended on Saturday morning from Manila's international airport.

More than 115,000 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas before the typhoon hit, which likely prevented more deaths.

AFP