Ministry reports fewer deaths from natural disasters this year

Natural disasters across the country left 271 people dead or missing in the first half of this year, most due to floods, and total direct economic losses from these disasters reached 81.2 billion yuan ($11.5 billion), according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

While the number of dead and missing fell by 26.2 percent year-on-year, direct economic losses climbed by 15.3 percent, the ministry said in a media release on Monday.

Compared with the average of the same period over the past five years, however, the two numbers declined by 32.4 percent and 16.9 percent, respectively, it added.

The release also said the number of people who suffered natural disasters in the first six months this year stands at about 49.6 million, and over 913,000 had to be evacuated.

The country has seen more precipitation and severe convective weather-which is characterized by strong winds, hail, thunderstorms and brief but heavy rainfall-so far this year. Such conditions are to blame for most of the casualties and direct economic losses in natural disasters, according to the ministry.

The average precipitation across the country in the first half of the year was about 27.6 centimeters, 7 percent more than in normal years. Following 14 torrential rains, 309 rivers in 19 provincial regions saw waters rise above their warning levels, and 12 of those rivers experienced unprecedented floods, it said.

According to the ministry, floods caused by the downpours left 119 people in 26 provincial regions dead or missing and forced 848,000 people to be evacuated, while another 30 people were killed by lightning.