Four tourists died when their hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed during a sightseeing trip in China.

Nearly 900,000 people have been evacuated from two regions of southern China where at least 46 have died in flooding that was the worst in a century for some areas, the government said today.

The death toll in torrential flooding in a mountainous region of southern China has risen to 32, while more than 300,000 people were evacuated following the worst flooding to hit the area in a century, news reports said today.

Flooding triggered by torrential rains killed at least 24 people in a region of southern China and left 23 others missing, the government said today.