Half million die in decade of disasters in Asia Pacific - U.N.

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Asia Pacific region, the most disaster-prone part of the world, suffered 1,625 disasters in the decade through 2014, and needs to spend more on adapting to climate change and preparing for more extreme weather, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The region's disasters - 40 percent of the global total - claimed half a million lives over the decade, affected 1.4 billion people and caused $523 billion (341.25 billion pound) in economic damage, the 2015 U.N. Asia-Pacific Disaster Report said.