Natural disasters leave 578 people dead, missing in 9 months

BEIJING - Casualties due to natural disasters were down in China over the past nine months, despite serious flooding during the period, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

A total of 578 Chinese were killed or missing due to natural disasters in the past three quarters, down 33.5 percent year-on-year.

About 130 million people have been affected in the first nine months, up 12.8 percent from the same period last year.

About 83,000 buildings were destroyed in such disasters, down 33 percent year-on-year.

The country experienced serious flooding in the first three quarters, with 45 heavy rainfall events across the country and 622 mm of surface precipitation, up 13 percent year on year, ranking the second most serious since 1961.

Flooding above warning levels hit 836 rivers in 26 provinces and seven major river basins in China, 80 percent more than the average in previous years, and the highest figure since 1998, according to the ministry.