After landslides and floods struck eastern Philippine villages, government officials on Sunday were estimating more than 200 people could be dead.

Hardest hit was the central province of Southern Leyte.

By Sunday bad weather continued, with rain making rescue efforts difficult. Rescue helicopters were waiting for better weather before flying to more remote villages. Downed power and telephone lines hampered communications.

Some villages reported half their houses destroyed, submerged in mud. Rescuers were still pulling people alive from the mud on Sunday.

Sunday marked the seventh day of wind and rain pounding the Philippines.

At least some of the affected areas were hillsides and mountainsides that had been logged, then not replanted, leaving soil to wash away.

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