The death toll from severe rainstorms and flooding across China in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Bilis has risen to 170, with more than 100 missing, state media said yesterday.
China Central Television said 11.9 million residents in six provinces -- Fujian, Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Zhejiang -- were hit by the storm's rain and floods, which paralyzed transport and communications.
So far, 92 people have died in the central province of Hunan, while 43 people in the southeastern province of Fujian and 33 in the southern province of Guangdong have perished, Xinhua news agency reported.
Another two died in the southern province of Guangxi after their houses collapsed in floods, it said.
Torrential downpours in Fujian triggered flash flooding and landslides that left the 43 people dead and four injured, Xinhua said earlier.
Another 24 people in Fujian were missing, including 10 buried in a landslide in Zhangzhou City, the agency said, adding that their chances of surviving were slim.
Three million people in the province were affected by the flooding, with 19,100 houses destroyed, 144,680 hectares of crops damaged and 519,000 people evacuated by Sunday evening.
In addition to the 92 people confirmed dead in Hunan Province, more than 100 were still missing, Xinhua said, citing official figures.
Those dead included 14 people who were working at the Shenjiawan Colliery on Saturday when it was flooded after the dams of a nearby reservoir burst amid severe flooding, Xinhua said.
At least 4.3 million people across that province have been hit by the rainstorms and floods, according to the agency's reports, with some 34,000 houses toppled and 156,000 hectares of farmland damaged.
In nearby Guangdong Province, the 33 people killed were among 1.32 million people hit by the rainstorms, it said earlier.
Some 47,000 people had to be evacuated in Guangdong where 4,744 homes were destroyed, it said.
The flooding cut the main Beijing-Guangzhou railway line, stranding around 1,500 passengers on one of the trains at Lechang City in Guangdong.
The water level in Lechang reached 1.3m above the train tracks, Xinhua said.
It said flooding interrupted 88 train services and about 10,000 workers were mobilized to repair the inundated tracks.
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters refused to comment when contacted by reporters yesterday.
Local meteorological authorities in Hunan and Guangdong provinces forecast more storms in their regions in coming days while the rain was shifting westwards, hitting Guangxi Province.
Bilis wreaked havoc in the Philippines and Taiwan before veering towards China. It weakened after hitting China last Friday.
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