At least 50 die in Philippines flooding

MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- At least 50 people died and thousands were evacuated as Typhoon Ondoy drenched Manila with a record 13.43 inches of rain Saturday, officials said.

More than 8,600 people were rescued and 41,200 went to 92 evacuation centers, said Gilberto Teodoro, secretary of national defense and chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

"Traversing through the flood is like walking through rapids," Jv Abellar of Quezon City, Philippines, told CNN.

Nathaniel Cruz, weather services bureau head of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, said the total rainfall surpassed the old one-day record of 13.12 inches, set in 1967, GMANews.tv reported.

Saturday's rainfall was almost equal to the average monthly rainfall in Metro Manila, which Cruz pegged at 15.4 inches.

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared a state of emergency in Metro Manila and at least 23 Filipino provinces, Inquirer.net reported.

Witnesses said the downpours produced flood waters that brought many sectors of the city of more than 10 million to a virtual standstill.

Emergency crews said they were receiving calls for help from people stranded on rooftops or inside their houses, while major streets in Manila were under water.