Natural disasters kill 16 in China in January

Natural disasters have caused the deaths of 16 people in January in China, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

Over 5,200 people were displaced by natural disasters last month, the two authorities said in a statement Monday.

In addition, over 35,000 houses were damaged and about 400 hectares of crops were destroyed, according to the statistics.

The statement said natural disasters in January have caused 541 million yuan (78.5 million U.S. dollars) in direct economic losses.