BEIJING, Jul 9, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A total of 545 people were killed by natural disasters in China in the first half of the year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Monday.
Another 78 people went missing as a result of natural disasters, including floods, landslides, mudflows, droughts, gales, snowstorms and earthquakes.
More than 143 million people were affected by natural disasters and 2.45 million people were evacuated in the first six months of the year.
More than 346,000 houses collapsed and nearly 22 million hectares of farmland were affected.
Total direct economic losses could reach 50.4 billion yuan (6.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to the ministry.
According to the ministry, floods and landslides caused by heavy rains hit south and southwest China while the northeastern and northwestern areas suffered severe drought, and an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck southwest China's Yunnan Province in June.
The central government has allocated 1.2 billion yuan to subsidize relief work.