Natural disasters recording above average losses during H1 2008

Munich Re says so far this year losses from 400 catastrophes total $50bn compared with a 10-year average of $35bn

Natural catastrophes have already caused some 152,000 deaths in the first half of this year, according to the tally kept by reinsurer Munich Re. This is well above the 10-year average of 11,000 deaths in the first half of a year (compiled between 1998 and 2007), and exceeds the full-year total for every year since 2004.