Berlin - Exports from the 16-member eurozone fell in August, data released Friday showed, with the figures underscoring the fragile state of recovery in the currency bloc's economy.

Eurozone exports slumped by a seasonally adjusted 5.8 per cent month on month in August, while imports slipped 1.3 per cent, the European Union statistics office Eurostat said.

Eurostat said that the eurozone's trade balance with the rest of the world produced a 4-billion-euro (6-billion-dollar) deficit compared with 11.3-billion-euro deficit in August 2008.

Exports from the broader 27-state European Union fell by a seasonally adjusted 4.2 per cent in August with imports declining by 1.4 per cent, Eurostat said.

The statistics office said that the 27-member Brussels-based bloc's trade flows with all its major partners fell during the first part of the year.

This included a 40-per-cent contraction in exports to Russia from January to July compared with the same period in 2008.

At the same time, EU exports to Turkey slumped by 30 per cent, by 24 per cent to South Korea and by 23 per cent to Brazil.

EU exports to the US tumbled by 20 per cent in the months from January to July compared with the same period last year. (dpa)