Special Report: Global Financial Crisis

    BRUSSELS, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Construction output in the euro zone dropped by 1.3 percent in September compared with the previous month, the European Union (EU)'s statistics bureau Eurostat said Wednesday.

    Output had grown in August by 0.4 percent month-on-month, according to revised figures.

    However, year-on-year figures for September dropped by 3.8 percent, after a fall of 1.7 percent in August.

    In the 27-nation EU, production in the construction sector in September decreased by 1.5 percent from the previous month and by 3.1 percent from a year ago.

    Among member states whose data were available, construction output rose in eight and fell in five compared with the previous month.

    Slovakia recorded the largest monthly increase of 7.2 percent, while Britain registered the sharpest drop of 8.5 percent.

    Analysts had expected a likely cooling of construction in Europe due to the credit squeeze amid the financial crisis.