This is the moment frantic residents watched as a raging river was inches away from reaching their homes in the Philippines.

The incident happened before tropical storm Megi , which has killed at least 24 in the country, developed from a low-pressure area on April 5. The deluge demolished shanties built near the waterway but no one was reported hurt.

Villager Riri Monter said: 'It had been raining for days. We were scared the water would crash through our house. Fortunately, it followed the river's path into the sea and our houses were spared.'

Tropical storm Megi, locally named Agaton, disrupted the Easter holidays in the central and southern Philippines when at least 13,000 residents fled to evacuation centres due to severe flooding.

Water and electricity supply were also cut in some regions due to broken pipes and roads which remained unpassable.

State weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said it has weakened into a tropical depression packing maximum sustained winds of up to 45 kilometres per hour.