21 Jun 2010

China flood death toll climbs to 147

6:59 am on 21 June 2010

The death toll from torrential downpours that have ravaged southern China for the past week has reached 147, and more heavy rain is forecast.

Floods and landslides triggered by the summer deluge have left a further 93 people missing while more than 800,000 people have been evacuated.

The heavy rain has hit great swathes of China's south and southeast, destroying 68,000 houses and affecting more than 500,000 hectares of crops.

State television reported that more heavy rain was expected as the cost of the disaster reached 14.5 billion yuan.