Militants ambush Philippine army convoy as typhoon death toll hits 41

People ride on a delivery truck to cross a flooded road after heavy rain at Candaba town, Pampanga province, north of Manila, December 17, 2015. REUTERS/Czar Dancel

MANILA (Reuters) - Maoist rebels in the Philippines exploited the havoc unleashed by a typhoon to attack an army relief convoy on Friday, authorities said, as the death toll from the storm rose to 41.

Melor, a category 3 typhoon when it made landfall in the central Philippines this week, died out in the South China Sea on Thursday, but left a trail of destruction of agriculture and infrastructure.