Flood toll rises to 72 dead, 103 missing in north-east China

The death toll rose to at least 72 with 103 people missing after the worst floods for 15 years hit parts of north-eastern China, the government said Monday, according to DPA. Local authorities had evacuated about 360,000 people in China's three north-eastern provinces since the flooding began last week, the Ministry of Civil Affairs reported. At least 54 died and 97 were missing in the worst-hit province of Liaoning, while 15 died and six were missing in neighbouring Jilin province, and three died in Heilongjiang province, the ministry said. Some 110,000 people took part in relief work over the weekend in Liaoning, where more than 6,000 homes collapsed and 34,000 were damaged. Continuous rainfall last week caused the most serious floods since 1998 in the three provinces, state media said.