<p>Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the northeastern Philippines as heavy rain across the country left at least eight people dead, authorities said Sunday.</p>.<p>The storm -- which has inundated villages and destroyed scores of houses in recent days -- is the latest to batter the disaster-prone archipelago.</p>.<p>Floodwaters reached waist-deep in 14 towns in the Cagayan Valley in the northeast of the main island of Luzon -- which saw the worst flooding in decades last month -- regional civil defence officer Francis Joseph Reyes said.</p>.<p>That forced nearly 10,000 people to seek shelter in emergency centres.</p>.<p>The rain, which was intensified by the northeast monsoon, has filled Magat dam near to its critical level and the release of water threatens to aggravate the flooding, Reyes said.</p>.<p>Authorities said at least six people drowned in two provinces on the major southern island of Mindanao, which was also hit by torrential rain in recent days.</p>.<p>Two elderly women were also killed in a rain-induced landslide on Saturday in the central province of Leyte.</p>.<p>The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.</p>.<p>At least 148 people were killed in a succession of typhoons in recent months that destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses.</p>
<p>Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the northeastern Philippines as heavy rain across the country left at least eight people dead, authorities said Sunday.</p>.<p>The storm -- which has inundated villages and destroyed scores of houses in recent days -- is the latest to batter the disaster-prone archipelago.</p>.<p>Floodwaters reached waist-deep in 14 towns in the Cagayan Valley in the northeast of the main island of Luzon -- which saw the worst flooding in decades last month -- regional civil defence officer Francis Joseph Reyes said.</p>.<p>That forced nearly 10,000 people to seek shelter in emergency centres.</p>.<p>The rain, which was intensified by the northeast monsoon, has filled Magat dam near to its critical level and the release of water threatens to aggravate the flooding, Reyes said.</p>.<p>Authorities said at least six people drowned in two provinces on the major southern island of Mindanao, which was also hit by torrential rain in recent days.</p>.<p>Two elderly women were also killed in a rain-induced landslide on Saturday in the central province of Leyte.</p>.<p>The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.</p>.<p>At least 148 people were killed in a succession of typhoons in recent months that destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses.</p>