Tropical Storm Ketsana has pounded the Philippine capital Manila. At least 51 people are dead after about 34 centimeters of rain fell in just six hours on Saturday.

Thousands of people were stranded on rooftops in the city and elsewhere.

The government declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and about two dozen storm-hit provinces. Nearly 2-thousand people were evacuated in the capital and surrounding areas.

Hundreds of vehicles were stalled in flooded streets around Manila. A dozen flights in and out of the central and northern Philippines were cancelled because of poor visibility.

The coast guard suspended ferry operations, and nearly 2-thousand passengers were stranded in ports in several provinces south of Manila. The rains also caused the water in two dams near Manila to rise to dangerous levels.

And water was waist-deep in some communities in northern Bulacan province after one dam overflowed. Electricity service to some flooded areas in metropolitan Manila was cut off to prevent accidents.

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