Unexpected geological disasters claim 743 lives in 2003: report

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 09, 2004

Unexpected geological disasters claim 743 lives in 2003: report

Unexpected geological disasters killed 743 people last year in China, with 125 others missing, according to an official report released Friday, April 9.

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Unexpected geological disasters killed 743 people last year in China, with 125 others missing, according to an official report released Friday, April 9.

According to the 2003 China Report on the Situation of Land and Resources, a total of 13,832 geological disasters of various types occurred last year, causing 4.865 billion yuan (593 million US dollars) in direct economic losses.

The report lists Sichuan province, southwest China, Shaanxi province, northwest China and Hunan province, south China as the hardest-hit provincial areas.

By the end of 2003, a total of 545 counties and cities had completed their geological survey for disaster prevention and control with information and prevention systems put in place, it says.

China also established geological disaster command and reporting systems at State and provincial levels, according to the report.

Geological workers forecast 697 geological disasters last year, which would have otherwise threatened the lives of nearly 30,000 people, it says.

The report says China made progress in prevention of geological disasters in reservoir areas of the 660 km-long Yangtze River, and released forecast of 16 slides that might endanger lives of 3,000 local residents.

China continued its early-warning projects to monitor geological disasters in the reservoir areas, and 136 major risky places are put under professional surveillance, while nearly 1,800monitoring stations involving local residents have been set up, the report says.

Source: Xinhua

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