Toll from storm rises to 6 in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines—The death toll from the latest tropical storm to hit the typhoon-ravaged Philippines rose to six on Wednesday with nine others missing in landslides, flooding and heavy winds, officials said.

Among the dead were a miner killed by a landslide caused by heavy rains and a man who was electrocuted by a power line brought down by strong winds, local officials said.

Rescuers earlier said four schoolchildren drowned on Monday while crossing a river swollen by rains unleashed by tropical storm Banyan.

Most of the missing were fishermen, said Benito Ramos, the head of the disaster response agency said.

Sea travel and domestic flights to the affected areas near the central island of Panay were cancelled due to the storm.

The storm came just two weeks after two typhoons, Nesat and Nalgae hit the country within days of each other, leaving more than 100 people dead and at least 27 missing.

More than 60,000 people are still huddled in government evacuation centers after the twin typhoons left massive flooding in the agricultural areas north of the Philippine capital.