"It was the major cities that got hit (with floods), highly urbanised areas," Alejandro said, adding that 26 people remained missing.

More than 40 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced as rains driven by Typhoon Kalmaegi flooded swathes of the central Philippines on Tuesday.

“Search and rescue efforts continue and there are missing and unaccounted individuals,” Orong said in a phone message, adding the deaths were due to drowning and falling debris.