Natural disasters leave 20 dead in October

BEIJING -- Natural disasters across China claimed 20 lives in October, causing direct economic losses of 63.6 billion yuan ($10.4 billion), according to an official statement on Monday.

Disasters affected nearly over 13 million ?and forced relocation of nearly 1.5 million, said information from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

More than 6,200 houses were destroyed and over 140,000 damaged to varying degrees. Disasters affected most 1.8 million hectares of farmland, with over 100,000 hectares yielding no crops at all. Losses were heavier than in the same period last year.

Natural disasters in October were mainly typhoons. Earthquakes, drought, wind and hail, freezing weather, snowstorm, landslide, storm tide and forest fires also played their part.