Heavy rain across much of southern China over the last week has killed at least 199 people and left 123 missing.

Economic losses currently stand at around Rmb42.12bn, with more than 1.6m hectares of farmland flooded and about 195,000 houses collapsed.

Many roads and bridges have been washed out, which has hampered the rescue effort. Eleven major state highways, most leading into Fujian province in southeaster China, have been blocked by flooding or landslides, China National Radio reported. Train services, including some between Beijing and Shanghai, have also been disrupted.

The weather bureau said that rainfall in parts of the south was up to three times greater than average.