A total of 3,186 people were killed by natural disasters in China last year, an increase of 28.7 percent from the previous year, according to a report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Natural disasters, mainly typhoons, floods, and droughts, hit 41 million hectares of farmland and destroyed more than 1.9 million houses, causing direct economic losses of 252.8 billion yuan (about US$32.4 billion), up 23.8 percent year-on-year, said the report made public on Wednesday.

The report also showed that local governments have evacuated or resettled 13.8 million people affected by natural disasters in 2006, and about 1.89 million houses were repaired.

The economic losses were the second most after 1998 when floods caused about 300 billion yuan in damages, the report said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 24, 2007)