"China battered by deadly storms"

Floods and landslides have destroyed 49,000 houses and caused economic losses of $500m in seven provinces

Torrential rains continue to batter large swathes of China after killing 94 people and displacing more than half a million in the past week.

Floods and landslides have left at least 25 people missing, ruined crops, destroyed 49,000 houses and caused economic losses of $500m in seven provinces, the state-run People's Daily said on Monday.

Downpours in the central province of Henan and the eastern provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu have left the huge Huai river overflowing at alarming levels, the newspaper said.

More than 326,000 people had been mobilised to check embankments along the river, where water was still rising on Monday and a flood peak was expected on Tuesday, state media said.

Thousands of soldiers have been helping to evacuate residents in the region, where streets of several cities were under water.

Over the weekend, Jiangsu's provincial capital, Nanjing, suffered 258 mm of rain, flooding streets and knocking out power, Xinhua news agency said.

More storms forecast...