New flooding in the Philippines

Shirley Escalante, Manila

Last Updated: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:46:00 +1100

At least two provinces in the Philippines have been newly flooded despite the absence of any tropical storms.

The Philippines Coast Guard has sent rescue teams to Aurora province in the eastern Philippines amid new flooding caused by overnight rains.

Nine villages were submerged and hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes.

Quezon province, on the Philippines' east-central border, has also been flooded.

Government weather forecasters say the rains were brought by the northeast monsoon.

The Philippines is still recovering from the destruction caused by four consecutive tropical cyclones in a month.

The most recent typhoon, Mirinae, killed nearly thirty people.