A barge ran aground leaving one missing as Tropical Storm Nalgae churned up seas off the Philippine coast.

The barge was beached along the shores of Botolan town, Zambales province on October 30 afternoon as it while being pulled by a tugboat towards calmer waters.

However, the rope snapped, leaving the barge at the mercy of powerful waves.

The Philippine Coast Guard said there were six crew members onboard.

PO3 Mar Marasigan, Philippine Coast Guard Botolan substation commander, said: 'Three people on the vessel disembarked before it hit shallow waters. Two are still on the barge while one is missing.'

In a statement, Botolan Mayor Jun Ebdane said: 'Rescue and retrieval operations are still ongoing after the barge ran aground near Barangay Bangan last night.'

He added that it was still dangerous to set sail as strong winds are still lashing the province due to Tropical Storm Nalgae.

The national disaster agency said 98 people have died in floods and landslides due to the storm as of October 31.

Some 63 were still missing while 69 more were injured, it added.

Nalgae is expected to leave the Philippines on Monday as it heads towards southern China.