At least 136 dead or missing in China floods

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Floods and landslides across southern China have killed at least 88 people and left 48 missing in a week, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

Torrential downpours triggered flash floods, inundated crops, disrupted traffic and telecommunications, forcing the evacuation of 757,000 people, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement, Xinhua reported.

China's disaster relief departments raised the emergency response level on Saturday after more floods hit south China and as authorities forecast more rain to fall in coming days.

Worst hit were the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou, and the Guangxi autonomous region. The economic damage was put at 10 billion yuan ($1.47 billion), Xinhua said.

Only a few months ago, parts of the southwest were suffering from the worst drought in a century.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Nick Macfie)