After the heavy rains in the Philippines over Christmas, the death toll has risen to at least 25. 26 people, especially fishermen, were still missing, according to the national civil protection agency.

More than 390,000 people in 29 provinces of the Southeast Asian island state are affected by the rains outside the monsoon season. A good 81,000 people had to leave their homes and seek refuge in evacuation centers.

The rain in the predominantly Catholic country, where Christmas is also traditionally celebrated, began on Christmas Eve. Especially in the south and east of the country, it caused rivers to burst their banks and triggered landslides. In the province of Misamis Occidental on the island of Mindanao in the south of the country alone, 13 people died. Most of the victims found so far drowned, it said.

Rescue workers used the slightly better weather conditions on Wednesday to step up their efforts and provide people in the flooded areas with food, water and other goods, a civil protection director said on Wednesday. However, a low-pressure area will continue to bring rain, the weather agency predicted. "Floods and landslides triggered by rain are likely," the meteorologists warned.