At least 25 people are dead in the central Philippines after landslides and floods caused by Tropical Storm Megi.

The worst-hit area was the town of Baybay City in Leyte province, where 22 villagers were killed in landslides that smothered several villages, according to Lieutenant Colonel Joemen Collado, the police chief of Baybay city. Collado also said six people were missing after they were swept away by floodwaters.

The national disaster agency says at least three other deaths have been reported in the southern Davao region.

Tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes over the weekend due to the landslides and floods caused by the heavy rains produced by Megi, the first tropical storm to hit the Pacific archipelago this year. At least 20 storms and typhoons strike the Philippines each year.