"49 were reported dead, 22 missing, and 16 injured as of January 1," the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

A search for about 22 missing persons is still going on, the agency added.

A series of floods have severely affected the provinces of Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, and also affected some parts of the Visayan islands of the Philippines.

The floods began on December 24, as intense rain poured down on the central and southern parts of the Philippines. (ILKHA)