Natural disasters leave 29 dead in October

Natural disasters across China claimed 29 lives and left one missing in October, causing direct economic loss of 8.11 billion yuan (1.33 billion US dollars), according to an official statement.

Disasters affected nearly 3.25 million and forced relocation of about 128,000 in 201 county-level regions, said information from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

More than 8,000 houses were destroyed and about 179,000 damaged to varying degrees. Disasters affected 353,700 hectares of farmland, with over 42,100 hectares yielding no crops at all.

Earthquakes, floods, freezing weather and snowstorms were the most prominent disasters in October. Drought, wind and hail, landslide and forest fires were also seen.