The severe earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and New Zealand this year have caused the tripling of global economic costs of disasters, both natural and man-made, to 222 billion dollars, according to a study published by Swiss Re.
Last year, economic losses caused by disasters rose to 63 billion dollars, according to the second largest reinsurance company worldwide.
Natural disasters this year have caused the cost of 31 billion dollars to insurance companies, while man-made disasters caused losses of five billion dollars, according to Swiss Re.
The most expensive disaster was the earthquake in Chile in February, for which insurers have paid 8 billion dollars. Another earthquake, in New Zealand, along with the European Xynthia, last winter storm, caused together a 3 billion dollars cost.
Otherwise, the Haitian earthquake caused the largest loss of lives, with 222,000 deaths and the heat wave that hit Russia this summer caused other 15,000 deaths. Natural disasters this year have caused the most deaths since 1976, according to the Swiss company.
The explosion of the oil platform in Gulf of Mexico caused only one billion dollars costs for the insurers, mostly in property damage, but the figure could grow stronger because it includes losses that might arise later.
