The Philippines government has said tropical storm Aere left the country on Wednesday after killing 24 people. According to the Philippine weather bureau, the storm was heading towards Japanese waters but had weakened after hitting the Philippines on Sunday. The nation's disaster agency after gathering more complete information from remote provinces said the death toll from Aere climbed from 15 to 24. The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 storms or typhoons annually and hundreds of people die each year.