China natural disaster toll rises to 4,342 dead or missing

The number of dead or missing from mudslides and floods in China in 2010 has risen to more than 4,300, the government said, as the nation reels from the worst inundations in a decade.

The number of dead or missing from mudslides and floods in China in 2010 has risen to more than 4,300, the government said, as the nation reels from the worst inundations in a decade.

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Du Ying, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, told reporters that natural disasters such as flooding and landslides had so far left 3,313 people dead.

The death toll included 1,500 people who were killed in one devastating mudslide in the northwestern province of Gansu in August.

Du, speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, said the natural disasters had left another 1,029 people missing 2010, and resulted in the evacuation of 15.7 million residents.

Direct economic losses, meanwhile, amounted to 370 billion yuan (55 billion dollars).