May 7, 2004

Almost half a billion people were affected by natural disasters in China last year, with more than 2,000 dying and some seven million displaced, statistics showed.

According to figures jointly published by the National Statistical Bureau and the National Meteorological Bureau, a massive 490 million people, or a third of the population, were hit by calamities like floods and earthquakes.

It was not clear to what extent they were impacted although 2,259 died, while 7.07 million people were forced to move from their homes to safer places, Xinhua news agency reported.

In addition, 4.43 million houses were damaged with financial losses running at 188.42 billion yuan (22.7 billion dollars).

Some 8.55 million hectares of crops were wiped out while 87 million hectares of farmland or cultivated land was damaged.

Earlier reports suggested much of the misery was brought on by torrential rains and flooding during the summer months, leading to landslides and serious soil erosion.

Earthquakes, especially in northwestern Xinjiang region, were also serious last year.

A drop of between five and eight times normal rainfall coupled with abnormally high temperatures in northern, northeastern and southwestern China also exacerbated drought in these areas.

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