Gallery: Manila floods

Thousands of people in the capital and nearby towns found themselves marooned [AFP]

Many took to desperate measures to escape the rising water [AFP]

Others held on to electric wires to stay out of floodwaters [AFP]

Marikina City in eastern Manila remains under a sheet of muddy water [AFP]

Thousands fled their homes after Ketsana dumped the heaviest rains in 40 years [AFP]

But not all were lucky and a child was among those who perished [AFP]

The government faces the tough task of providing relief to the thousands affected [AFP]