Shanghai, China, Sept 9, SPA -- The death toll from flooding and landslides in mountainous southwestern China rose to 177 onThursday, as authorities warned beleaguered residents tobrace for fresh storms. A week of torrential rains has claimed 102 lives inSichuan province, and another 75 in neighboring Chongqing.A total of 50 people are missing in the two areas, locatedabout 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southwest of Beijing. The disasters have affected about 11 million people, withhundreds of thousands evacuated and about 10,000 sick orinjured in Sichuan alone. With more than 300,000 homes damaged, direct losses tocrops and the local economy were estimated at 3.9 billionyuan (US$470 million; euro 385 million).--SPA1258 Local Time 0958 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/199723