At least 1,382 people have been killed amid frequent natural disasters across China since the beginning of the year, says a leading Chinese meteorological official.

Qin Dahe, director of China Meteorological Administration, told Xinhua that under the impact of abnormal climate, China has had a higher incidence of natural disasters this year compared to that for the same period last year.

The natural disasters which have proved to be more disastrous than those happening before include drought, torrential rains, typhoons, sand storms, blizzards, forest fires, rock and mud flows. They have so far caused 100 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion s) in direct economic losses, says Qin.

The flooding caused by Typhoon Bilis alone left 612 people dead and 208 more missing in the country, according to Qin, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

While blaming global warming as the key factor for the higher rate and more disastrous cases of natural disaster, the official insists greater efforts should be made to improve the capabilities of preventing and limiting the damages of natural disasters.

"To this end, while keeping development as the overriding task, it is necessary to persist in following a sustainable path featuring a harmony between the mankind and the nature, and to rely on scientific and technological progress for improving capacity of doing research on, monitoring, forecasting and issuing alarms against impending natural disasters," says Qin.

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2006)