China counts cost of floods

The authorities in Beijing say that the torrential rains and landslides which have swept southern China in recent weeks have killed nearly 150 people and caused damage costing more than $700m.

The figures covered eight provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the south - Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou.

Many roads and homes have been destroyed or washed away.

Earlier this month, a government official said that nearly 17 million people had been affected by the floods throughout the country, and 186 had died.

Weather forecasters say that there is little respite in sight, with heavy rains threatening the south-west and south-east in the coming days.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service