Floods kill 175 in China

Floods following heavy rain have killed at least 175 people in southern China with more than 100 still missing.

Torrential downpours have triggered flash floods, inundating crops, disrupting traffic and telecommunications and forcing the evacuation of more than 1 million people, according to Ministry of Civil Affairs figures.

The country's disaster relief departments have raised the emergency response level as more rainfall is forecast in the coming days.

Chinese authorities estimate that the cost of the clean up and rebuilding programme will cost nearly £1.5 billion.

The areas worst hit are the provinces and regions of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi.

Premier Wen Jiabao has visited rescue workers and people evacuated from flooded homes in Guangxi, urging that no effort be spared to tackle the disaster.

Only a few months ago, parts of the southwest suffered from the worst drought in a century.