(2ND UPDATE) Tropical storm Chanchu continued to lash the Philippines Saturday, leaving at least 26 people dead as heavy rains triggered landslides and left parts of the country under water.
Floodwaters submerged two provinces in the central Visayas region and several villages in Leyte's Sogod town were cut off after landslides and floods damaged a bridge and vital highway.
Chanchu was tracking west-northwest towards the South China Sea and was expected to have moved on by Sunday morning, the state weather bureau said.
In the worst accident during the storm, the motorboat Mae Ann 5 capsized just off the central city of Masbate Friday.
Officials are unsure how many passengers were aboard, but coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Joseph Coyme said 21 bodies had been fished out of the water.
The civil defense office said over 23,000 people in the eastern and central regions have been evacuated, while nearly 8,000 people were stranded in major ports after the coast guard suspended sea travel.
Chanchu was packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers (58 miles) per hour near the center with gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour, the weather bureau said.