IN BRIEF

Beijing

Disaster status report released

Natural disasters killed 230 people in July in China, and another 44 remain missing, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction. A total of 2.8 million people were displaced, the authorities said in a report on Tuesday. About 73,000 houses were destroyed and some 600,000 houses damaged. About 8.84 million hectares of crops were damaged, with 920,000 hectares completely destroyed. Natural disasters in July caused 135 billion yuan ($20 billion) of direct economic losses, according to the report.

Shanxi

Official removed over slide cover-up

The head of the coal mine management bureau in Shanxi province's Heshun county was removed from his position for denying that a landslide had occurred on Friday, the county government said on Tuesday. Four people died, and five others were missing in the slide. Zhang Ruiqing, head of the management bureau, covered up the incident, which delayed rescue efforts, the government said, apologizing in a statement released on Tuesday. It said other officials responsible will also be punished.

Guangdong

More than 12 tons of drugs seized

The Shenzhen police have destroyed more than 320 drug dens and seized 12.25 tons of narcotics as of July, Xu Wenhai, the city's deputy mayor, said on Tuesday. Suspects associated with the dens were involved in more than 4,600 drug-related cases, Xu added. Local police have established offices to handle anti-drug and drug rehabilitation work in all 74 subdistricts in Shenzhen this year. More than 600 employees were recruited to work in rehabilitation centers in 126 communities across the city.

Hunan

Man, 48, dies of H7N9 flu virus

A resident of Hunan province died of H7N9 flu infection, provincial authorities said on Tuesday. The 48-year-old waste trader surnamed Mo in Jishou city developed symptoms on Wednesday and died on Sunday in a hospital despite doctors' efforts, the Hunan provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. Mo tested positive for the H7N9 virus.

Jiangsu

Medal given to missionary's family

Nanjing awarded a peace medal to the family of John Magee on Monday, to show gratitude for the missionary who recorded the Nanjing Massacre in 1937. Long Xiang, deputy Party chief of the city, presented the medal to Magee's grandson Chris Magee. A missionary in Nanjing from 1912 to 1940, Magee secretly filmed the slaughter of Chinese soldiers and civilians by Japanese troops 80 years ago. The 105 minutes of footage is the only known film of the massacre, in which as many as 300,000 people were slaughtered.