Rescuers used a digger to carry locals to safety after their homes were battered by Tropical Storm Megi in the central Philippines.

Residents of Sitio Can-igo in Leyte province were seen riding the heavy vehicle's bucket as it drove across the deluge on April 11.

Onlooker Mae Ann said: 'Even the houses in high areas have been affected. Can-Igo has been completely submerged.'

Tropical Storm Megi, locally known as Agaton, made landfall in Guiuan municipality, Eastern Samar at 7:30 am on April 10 with maximum sustained winds of up to 75 kilometres per hour.

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.

At least 24 people were killed - 14 of whom died in landslides in Leyte province - with six injured and one missing as of Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

It added the storm has caused some 900,000 PHP worth of damage to agriculture and 250,000 PHP to infrastructure.