**At least five people have been killed and thousands evacuated as floods caused by heavy rain brought chaos to the Philippines.**One town is said to be completely under water. Power has been cut off to parts of the capital, Manila, where hundreds of people are trapped on rooftops.
The government has declared a calamity, allowing access to emergency funds.
Television pictures showed water flowing down roads like rivers, with the floods chest-deep and rising.
The equivalent of a whole month’s rain fell over six hours, as Tropical Storm Ketsana lashed the archipelago, causing the worst flooding in Manila for 20 years.
Nearby 2,000 people were evacuated and hundreds more were stranded on rooftops.
Mayor Mon Ilagan of the town of Cainta, in Rizal province to the north, told local media his town was “almost 100% under water”.
Quoted by the Associated Press news agency, deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said two people died south of Manila, and three others in Quezon City. Local radio reported 10 deaths, mostly in Manila.
Roads leading into Manila were rendered impassable by stalled vehicles, and some flights and ferry services were cancelled.