Floods kill 'at least 112' as torrential rains trigger landslides and destroy homes
Torrential rains that swept through China this week have left at least 112 people dead and 91 others missing.
Various provincial governments reported the figures on Saturday, after the rains this week flooded streams, triggered landslides and destroyed homes.
The northern province of Hebei has been hit hardest, with authorities there saying 72 people were killed and 78 missing.
In the Hebei city of Xingtai 25 people were killed and another 13 were missing.
Local police blamed a failure of a river embankment for the heavy casualties.
But villagers have complained to local media that they were not notified in time to evacuate when the authorities decided to discharge floodwater from an upstream reservoir.
Daxian village in Xingtai was also nearly wiped out when it was suddenly swamped by a flash flood in the early hours of Wednesday as villagers were slept.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs said late on Friday that more than 400,000 people have been evacuated.
