Heavy rains kill 52 in China

HEAVY rain drenched a drought-ravaged swathe of southern and eastern China, killing 52 people and forcing more than 100,000 to evacuate.

The deaths have been concentrated in the poor southern province of Guizhou, where tens of thousands have left their homes to escape the rising waters over the past few days, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Another 32 people were missing, the report added, suggesting the death toll could rise.