Natural disasters kill 230 in China in July

BEIJING -- Natural disasters killed 230 people in July in China and another 44 are still missing, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

A total of 2.8 million were displaced, the authorities said in a report Tuesday.

About 73,000 houses were destroyed and some 600,000 houses damaged. About 8.84 million hectares of crops were damaged, with 920,000 hectares completely destroyed.

Natural disasters in July caused 135 billion yuan ($20 billion) of direct economic losses.

Total damage in July was less than the average for the same period in the recent five years, according to the report, with the most notable events being floods, drought, hail and typhoons.