The Philippine government on Tuesday morning confirmed a total of 240 people were dead and nearly 40 people were still missing following devastating floods and landslides in Luzon caused by tropical storm "Ondoy" ( international code name: "Ketsana").

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said that as of 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, it has accounted for 240 dead people with 101 of the fatalities coming from Metro Manila and 88 in Rizal province.

The NDCC said 37 people still remain missing due to flashfloods and landslides that hit the country's capital and most of Luzon on Saturday.

It also said the number of people affected by the "Ondoy" has climbed to 1.87 million.

(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2009)