Manila - One person was killed and thousands of passengers stranded as a tropical storm lashed the Philippines for the past three days, a government agency said Monday.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the fatality was drowned after a motorized boat capsized Sunday while crossing a swollen river in Valderama town in Antique province, 435 kilometres south of Manila.

The NDCC said two other people remained missing while three others survived in the accident triggered by heavy rains brought about by tropical storm Hagupit

Close to 4,000 passengers have been stranded in different ports in central and eastern provinces after the coast guard banned vessels from sailing due to strong waves.

The weather bureau said that Hagupit, with maximum sustained winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 195 kilometres per hour, was spotted Monday off the northernmost province of Batanes.

Hagupit was moving toward the general direction of Hong Kong at 19 kilometres per hour. (dpa)