Landslides kill 88 in China

BEIJING - Rain-triggered landslides in eastern and southern China have killed at least 88 people and left 48 missing over the past week, officials said Saturday.

As of 10 a.m. (local time) Saturday, downpours that began pounding southern China Sunday had left 88 people dead, 48 missing, and forced the evacuation of 757,000 residents from their homes, Xinhua reported, citing a statement of the ministry of civil affairs.

The toll from a landslide in the eastern province of Fujian rose to 36 Saturday afternoon as five more bodies were recovered from the debris in Ninghua County, Sanming City. Rescuers are still searching for the missing.

In neighboring Zhejiang Province, nine people died Friday in two landslides.

In southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a lumberjack was killed and six others are missing after a landslide hit a work shed in a village in Rongshui County early Friday.

About 9.27 million people were affected by the heavy rains, the ministry said.