China's economic losses from natural disasters exceed 88b yuan in H1

BEIJING -- China's direct economic losses from natural disasters amounted to 88.81 billion yuan (about $13.13 billion) in the first half of 2022, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Thursday.

From January to June, floods and hailstorms were the major natural disasters in China, while droughts, freezing weather, earthquakes, snow disasters, and forest and grassland fires also occurred to varying degrees, Shen Zhanli, spokesperson for the ministry, told a press conference.

Nearly 39.14 million people were affected by natural disasters during the period, with 178 dead or missing and 1.28 million residents relocated.

More than 18,000 houses collapsed and 3.62 million hectares of cropland were damaged by natural disasters, Shen said.