LIGAN, Philippines (AFP) - Tropical storm Washi raked across the southern Philippines, unleashing mammoth floods across vast areas that left 180 people dead and nearly 400 others missing, officials said on Saturday.
They said 20,000 soldiers had been mobilised in a huge rescue and relief operation across the stricken north coast of the island of Mindanao, where the major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit.
Iligan mayor Lawrence Cruz described rampaging flood waters from swollen rivers that swamped up to a quarter of the land area of the city of 100,000.
'It's the worst flood in the history of our city,' Mr Cruz told GMA television. 'It happened so fast, at a time when people were fast asleep
