Nearly 300 missing or dead after floods

More than 170 people died and more than 100 were missing after heavy rains touched off floods and landslides in China in the past week, officials said Saturday. Meanwhile, meteorologists warned that more thunderstorms were expected in the coming days.

In northern China, the worst-hit area was Hebei province, which encircles the capital, Beijing. At least 114 people died, the provincial branch of the Ministry of Civil Affairs told the official New China News Agency on Saturday. An additional 111 people were missing as of Saturday.

Authorities put the number of affected people at more than 8 million, with nearly 300,000 evacuated.

In the city of Xingtai, about 200 miles southwest of Beijing, at least 25 people were dead and 13 missing after the Qili River overflowed its banks early Wednesday, flooding homes as people slept.