Natural disasters killed 279 people in June and left 93 others missing, according to figures released by the National Disaster Reduction Commission on Friday.

According to a notice issued by the commission, the severity of June's natural disasters was basically identical to that witnessed in previous years, although some hard-hit regions suffered from unusual challenges.

Natural disasters in June, mainly floods and droughts, together with storms, earthquakes, hurricanes and landslides, have affected 67.53 million people in total, forcing over 2 million people to leave their homes to find safe shelter elsewhere.

These disasters also caused severe damage to more than 6 million hectares of farmland and 452,000 houses, resulting in direct economic losses of 57.1 billion yuan (8.81 billion U.S.dollars).

Of the direct economic losses, 90 percent came from droughts and floods, said the notice, adding that 40 percent of flood-hit counties in June had previously suffered through droughts.

Further, 70 percent of counties hit by natural disasters are located in poor and remote regions, which add difficulties to reconstruction.

Additionally, June witnessed frequent extreme weather, said the notice. The lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River had its heaviest rainfall in 50 years, and the rainstorm in Beijing on June 23 was its largest since 1998.

Also according to the notice, the central government has allocated 445 million yuan in basic allowances to victims. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has dispatched 5,000 tents and 50,000 quilts to hard-hit Guizhou, Hunan and Anhui provinces.

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