Disasters pose threat to Asia's economic growth, UN warns
Play
Natural disasters have caused 15.1 billion dollars in damage in Asia so far this year and could threaten the region's long-term economic growth, the United Nations warned Tuesday.
"Economic losses are going through the roof," said Jerry Velasquez, regional head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Asia has not seen any major natural disasters this year, compared with last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand, which caused 214 billion dollars and 45 billion dollars in damage, respectively, but the region continued to be the most disaster-prone, the UN agency said.
During the first 10 months of 2012, natural disasters in Asia killed 3,103 people, more than half the worldwide total of 5,469. They affected 64.5 million people, compared with 87 million worldwide, and accounted for 33.9 per cent of damage around the globe.
The agency's report did not take into account the death toll and damage wrought last week by Typhoon Bopha, which killed at least 714 people and left nearly 900 people missing in the Philippines.//DPA
