People wade through a flooded street in the town of Baao in Camarines Sur province in the Philippines on Sunday, December 30, 2018. Reports say dozens were killed after Tropical Depression Usman hit the islands.

(Photo by Simvale Sayat/AFP/Getty Images)

At a Glance

The depression brought heavy rain to the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions.The number of dead is likely to increase, an official says.Thousands were stranded at seaports, airports and bus terminals.

Dozens of people were killed this weekend as Tropical Depression Usman swept over the central Philippines, triggering landslides and flooding.

and another 18 remain missing, the national disaster management agency reported, according to the New York Times.

“,” regional Office of Civil Defense director Claudio Yucot told Bernar News Sunday. “The figure can still go up because there are reports of missing.”

(MORE: 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Southern Philippines)

The storm struck on Saturday evening with maximum winds of 34 mph and gusts up to 40 mph.

Tens of thousands of people left their homes ahead of the storm. However, Yucot said many others decided to stay after the government’s weather agency downgraded the storm's severity warning.

Edgar Posadas, a spokesman for country's disaster agency, said officials had raised warnings and told residents in the storm’s path to take precautions days before it hit.

"The government has played its role here. What we need is immediate action and sincere participation of the people in the communities in times of calamities,” Posadas said.

Thousands of others were stranded at seaports, airports and bus terminals after dozens of inter-island trips were canceled because of the storm.

In September, slammed into the Philippines, causing two major landslides that left more than 140 people dead.