Death toll from Hebei storms climbs to 114

Torrential rain and floods have left 114 people dead and 111 others missing in north China's Hebei Province as of 6 p.m. on Saturday, according to the provincial civil affairs bureau.

Local authorities have evacuated nearly 310,000 people.

Flooding and rain-triggered landslides have caused the collapse of52,900 houses and damage to 155,000. Over 700,000 hectares of crops have also been destroyed, leading to direct economic losses of over 16 billion yuan (2.4 billion U.S. dollars).

(APD)