Residents ride on a bamboo raft over floodwaters in the farming town of Novaleta, on August 19, 2013
MANILA (AFP) - Flood-battered residents of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas appealed for help Tuesday as relentless monsoon rains, which have claimed at least seven lives, submerged more than half of Manila.
Water engulfed entire homes and vehicles in large parts of the megacity of 12 million people, trapping many people and forcing tens of thousands into evacuation centres.
