Geological disasters in China kill 349 in 2014

Geological disasters in China caused 349 deaths and 51 are unaccounted for in 2014, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

The disasters -- 10,907 in total, which including landslides and land cave-ins -- incurred direct economic losses of 5.41 billion yuan (884 million U.S. dollars), down 46.7 percent year on year.

The number of incidents dropped 29.2 percent year on year, while the number of those killed and missing down by 40.2 percent.

China has continued to strengthen monitoring and early-warning system,and heightened its disaster prevention training and emergency drills for the public, the ministry said.