Natural disasters left at least 612 people dead nationwide last month, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

The most notable events in the past month included floods, typhoons and a range of geological disasters, according to the ministry.

Natural disasters have caused 233.1 billion yuan (about $35 billion) in total direct economic losses, affecting nearly 7.3 million hectares of farmland, with more than 1.5 million hectares yielding no crops.

More than 1.87 million houses across China were damaged or destroyed in last month's natural disasters, higher than the same period in any year since 2011 and an increase of over 90 percent from the average in the past five years.

Floods that have hit 29 provincial-level regions have left 671 people dead or unaccounted for and caused direct economic losses of more than 213.24 billion yuan.

In July, two typhoons made landfall on the Chinese mainland, affecting five provincial regions. Typhoon Nepartak left 105 people dead or missing, the most of any typhoon to hit China in the past five years. Typhoon Mirinae resulted in a direct economic loss of 300 million yuan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2016)