The number of deaths caused by the tropical storm Agaton - also known as Megi - in the Philippines has risen to 172, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed on Sunday.

According to the NDRRMC, 110 people are still missing and feared dead after the strongest storm to strike the archipelago nation this year dumped heavy rain over several days, forcing tens of thousands into evacuation centers.

2 million people affected by the disaster

The number of people affected by the natural disaster has surpassed 2 million. The disaster left more than 10,300 houses damaged, with 670 of them fully destroyed.

In the central province of Leyte - the worst affected by Agaton - devastating landslides smashed farming and fishing communities, wiping out houses and transforming the landscape.

#BREAKING #PHILIPPINES

🔴PHILIPPINES: STORM MEGI HIT THE CENTRAL PROVINCE OF #LEYTE,

where a series of landslides devastated communities.
The death toll from landslides & floods rose to 67 on Wednesday. #VIDEO FROM A TERRIBLE LANDSLIDE!#BreakingNews #StormMegi #Tormenta pic.twitter.com/oomURtZX0K

— loveworld (@LoveWorld_Peopl) April 13, 2022

The region is regularly ravaged by storms - including a direct hit from Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 - with scientists warning they are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.

Philippines among vulnerable nations to climate change impacts

Agaton struck at the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most important holidays in the mainly Catholic nation, when thousands travel to visit relatives.

It came four months after a super typhoon hit the country, killing more than 400 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

The Philippines - ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change - is hit by an average of 20 storms every year.