Police in the Philippines have filed multiple murder charges against the owner and crew of a ferry that capsized shortly after pulling out of port, leaving more than 50 dead.

The death toll has doubled to more than 5,000 in typhoon-ridden Philippines as families continue to flee the worst hit areas and loved ones are reunited.

A fire blamed on illegally sold firecrackers swept through a department store in the central Philippines on Christmas Day, killing 24 people who tried to escape in a restroom, police said today.

At least 24 people died in a Christmas Day fire that engulfed a department store in the central Philippines.

Five people were killed and nine injured when a bolt of lightning struck a makeshift hut where they hid from a storm, Philippine police said today.