China floods: 87 killed and 'millions homeless'

Floods in north and central China have killed at least 87 people, with scores missing and hundreds of thousands forced from homes, officials say.

Hebei and Henan provinces have been the worst hit by the flash floods and landslides.

Nearly 50,000 homes collapsed in Hebei, where 72 people were killed, while 18,000 houses were damaged in Henan.

The Chinese authorities have said they will provide funds for flood-hit areas, with millions of people affected.

Authorities in Hebei said 25 people were killed in one city alone - Xingtai. Some 300,000 people have been evacuated in the province.

Henan has seen 15 deaths so far, with 72,000 people evacuated.

There have also been power cuts and major problems with the communications and transport networks across a wide area, Xinhua said.

Angry residents have blamed local officials for failing to warn them of the severe weather in advance.

The summer rains have been especially heavy in China this year and the government has said more than 200 people have been killed as a result of the weather.

It has estimated that more than 1.5 million hectares of crops have been damaged and said direct economic losses exceed $3bn (£2.3bn).