Natural disasters kill eight in China in November

BEIJING - Natural disasters left eight people dead and two missing in China in November, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction said Tuesday.

The most notable events last month included earthquakes, low temperatures and snowstorms, according to statistics released by the two bodies. Droughts, floods, hail, landslides and forest fires were also reported.

Natural disasters caused a total of 880 million yuan ($127.7 million) in direct economic losses and forced 2,000 people to relocate, the statistics said.

In addition, over 700 houses were destroyed and another 38,500 were damaged. Disasters destroyed more than 1,000 hectares of crops, according to the statistics.

Two earthquakes measuring over 5 magnitude rocked the Chinese mainland in November. The 6.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted Akto County in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was the most powerful to hit China so far this year.