The Extreme Weather in China Kills 98 People

A tornado and hailstorm have killed at least 98 people and 800 more were injured in the east China province of Jiangsu, according to state media.

Accompanied by torrential rain, thunderstorms and lightning, the tornado struck the outskirts of the city of Yancheng on Thursday afternoon.

The extreme weather packed with winds up to 125km/h (78 mph), destroyed homes and factories and tossed cars into the air, snapped trees and street light poles and toppled electricity pylons.

"When the tornado hit, the wind was howling and the sky turned as dark as night," a local villager told CNN by phone Friday. "Almost all the houses here have collapsed."

"It was like the end of the world," another local resident, Xie Litian told Xinhua.

"I heard the gales and ran upstairs to shut the windows. I had hardly reached the top of the stairs when I heard a boom and saw the entire wall with the windows on it torn away,"

Police in Yancheng, a city of more than 7 million resident, said on Fiday that emergency crews had rescued more than 100 people and evacuated 2,000 others.

More than 1,300 police officers had been mobilised to help, while tent and other emergency supplies were being sent from Beijing.

Tornadoes are rare in China, but not unheard of. Most Chinese people lack awareness of the weather phenomenon.

Many parts of China have been hit by torrential rains this week.

Floods in the south killed 22 people earlier this week and displaced nearly 200,000 people, state media said.

The southern part of China is hit every year during the monsoon season, which runs from May to July.



source:
BBC News