Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines - Three people were killed when a storm surge hit coastal communities in a southern Philippine province, disaster relief officials said Wednesday.

Two people were also missing following the sudden rise of water along the coast of Misamis Oriental province, 795 kilometres south of Manila, affecting three cities and 16 towns.

The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) said three people drowned, including a six-year-old boy, when huge waves crashed into houses along the province's coast since Monday evening.

Many residents were trapped on their rooftops until Wednesday dawn due to high waters.

Some 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes all over Misamis Oriental, the PDCC said.

The storm surge followed days of heavy and continuous rains in the province.

The weather bureau warned that Misamis Oriental and other southern provinces would experience more rains until the end of the week due to the tail-end of a cold front.

In the eastern province of Samar, eight people were killed due to landslides triggered by days of torrential rains. (dpa)