At least 55 were killed and 47 were missing in Sichuan province while 24 people died and 27 were missing in Chongqing municipality.

More than 450,000 people have been evacuated from the deadly storms, with 127,000 homes destroyed or damaged, 400 bridges collapsed and at least 720 kilometres (446 miles) of roads and thousands of hectares of farmland ruined.

"Among the dead and missing many are from Dazhou city. It is the heaviest rain in years and there are 30 dead and 30 missing there," Sichuan disaster relief bureau deputy director He Rongjun told AFP.

"It has mainly been caused by landslides and mountain torrents, mud and rock flows."

The cities of Nanchong and Bazhong have also been badly affected, although Dazhou was worst hit with 360 millimetres (14.4 inches) of rain since Thursday.

State television showed footage of flood water gushing down rivers in Sichuan.

Xinhua news agency said downtown areas of Dazhou were "isolated" as the rains caused cave-ins on urban roads and destroyed highways out of the city.

Parts of the city were under a metre (3.3 feet) of water.

"Forty four districts and cities are affected with a population of more than six million," said He, who put initial estimates of economic losses at 1.3 billion yuan (157 million dollars).

Tang Wanli, an official from the Chongqing civil affairs bureau, told AFP 24 people were dead and 27 were missing in his municipality, which neighbours Sichaun.

Tang said the rain was the heaviest recorded in certain districts in decades and that 1.2 million people were affected in one way or the other.

According to meteorologists the worst hit area in the municipality, Kai district, has been drenched by 327.3 millimetres (13 inches) of rain which has been pounding the area since Thursday.

Kai, scene of a gas leak that killed 243 people in December last year, was completely flooded. Power and telecommunications were cut and the bridge linking it with neighbouring Wanzhou district was destroyed.

Relief, however, appeared to be in sight.

"According to the meteorological bureau, the rain will stop this afternoon. For the coming days there will be no more rain," said He.

"We don't think the death toll will increase a lot."

Provincial and municipal officials have launched rescue operations although they were finding it difficult to get to more isolated regions, which have been cut off, Xinhua said.

Incessant heavy rains and floods have affected large swathes of China since June, with hundreds of people dying and thousands injured.

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