Central China floods claim 56 lives

TOTAL death toll in central China floods increased to 56 with the official estimate of losses totalling about $10 billion (£7.3bn).

Villagers were evacuated on Friday (23) as floods submerged swathes of the region while an approaching typhoon threatened to increase the rainfall.

Millions were affected by the floods in Henan province, which trapped people for days without fresh food or water and blocked roads.

The death toll is expected to rise, as casualties were still being counted, the officials said.

Moreover, Typhoon In-Fa is forecast to bring further torrential downpours to parts of Henan in the coming days, state media reported.

Meanwhile, Zhengzhou downgraded its emergency response level as it continued to clean up after this week's devastating floods. The region was hit by several days of heavy rainfall, causing floods of an intensity not seen in decades.

More than 8,000 military personnel worked in 10 different danger zones around the city, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

To distribute essential supplies to the flood affected people, donation counters were set up around the city with fire crews touring the surrounding villages to help the trapped residents.