China floods toll rises to 136

BEIJING - Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain have claimed 136 lives and affected over 10 million people in south China, a government office said Sunday.

A further 86 people are missing and 280,000 residents in nine provinces, including Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces have been evacuated, Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

The intense rainstorm that started mid-June has wrought economic losses totalling $2.1 billion in the nine provinces, Xinhua reported.

The office urged local governments to boost anti-flood measures to keep losses down.