Latest: 120 dead and dozens more missing after tropical storm hits Philippines

Romina Marasigan of the government's disaster response agency earlier said authorities have reported at least 75 deaths due to landslides and sudden surges of floodwater, but initial reports are unconfirmed for now.

Earlier: At least 130 people were killed and another 58 were missing after a tropical storm unleashed flash floods and set off landslides in the southern Philippines.

Most of the deaths from Tropical Storm Tembin were in the hard-hit provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur and on the Zamboanga Peninsula, said Romina Marasigan of the government's disaster-response agency.

It's the latest disaster to hit the Philippines, which is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making the archipelago that lies on the Pacific typhoon belt one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

A search and rescue operation was under way for more than 30 people swept away by flash floods in the fishing village of Anungan, said Mayor Bong Edding of Zamboanga del Norte province's Sibuco town.

Five bodies have been recovered so far in the village.

"The floodwaters from the mountain came down so fast and swept away people and houses," Edding said. "It's really sad because Christmas is just a few days away, but these things happen beyond our control."

Edding blamed years of logging in the mountains near Anungan for the tragedy that unfolded on Friday, adding that he and other officials would move to halt the logging operations.

The rest of the deaths were reported in Lanao del Norte, where floodwaters from a mountain also swept away several riverside houses and villagers, and Lanao del Sur, police and officials said.

Thousands of villagers moved to emergency shelters and thousands more were stranded in airports and seaports after the coast guard prohibited ferries from venturing out in the rough seas and several flights were canceled.

An inter-island ferry sank off north-eastern Quezon province on Thursday after being lashed by fierce winds and big waves, leaving at least five people dead. More than 250 passengers and crewmen were rescued.

Tembin, known locally as Vinta, was packing maximum sustained winds of 50mph (80km) and gusts of up to 59mph (95kph), and is forecast to blow away from the southern Philippines on Sunday toward the South China Sea, moving closer to Vietnam.

"It is unfortunate that another tropical cyclone, Vinta, made its presence felt so near Christmas," presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr said, adding that food packs and other aid were being distributed in storm-hit communities.

Earlier in the week, a tropical storm left more than 50 people dead and 31 others missing, mostly due to landslides, and damaged more than 10,000 houses in the central Philippines before weakening and blowing into the South China Sea.

Among the areas battered by Tembin was Marawi, a lakeside city in Lanao del Sur that is still recovering from a five-month siege by pro-Islamic State group extremists that left more than 1,000 people dead.