Death toll climbs to 63 after NE China city floods

The death toll has climbed to 63 after the worst flooding in decades ravaged Fushun city in northeast China's Liaoning province, local authorities said on Wednesday.

About 101 people remained missing as of Wednesday noon after extreme rainstorms drenched Liaoning from Thursday to Saturday, leaving many rivers flooded, according to Liaoning provincial flood control headquarters.

The downpours swamped rural houses, cutting off railways, roads and power supplies in the city.

The flood has seriously affected about 1.8 million people in 35 counties in the province, almost 200,000 of whom have been relocated.

Initial economic losses were estimated to be around 9 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion US dollars).

Liaoning is a major grain producer in northeast China.