Manila: At least 19 were killed when a passenger boat capsized amid strong winds near the Philippine capital Manila on Thursday, a municipal disaster agency said.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board, but Jose Hernandez, chief of the disaster agency of Binangonan town, said 40 people have been rescued.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, he added.

The boat was around 45 metres from land when it was hit by strong winds, causing all passengers to panic and move to one side, which caused the vessel to capsize, the Coast Guard said in a separate statement.

The Philippines was this week hit by Typhoon 'Doksuri' which brought winds of up to 175 kilometres an hour (108 miles an hour) to its northern and most populated Luzon island.