China: At least five killed, over 30 injured after tornado strikes Guangzhou

At least five people were killed and 33 others were injured after a tornado struck China’s southern city of Guangzhou, reported the state news agency Xinhua, on Saturday (Apr 27) citing local officials.

What happened?

Earlier on Saturday, the Chinese media reported that a tornado struck Guangzhou amid a severe rain and hail storm, which sent debris swirling into the air. The tornado hit about 3:00 pm (local time) in the city’s Baiyun district, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

The tornadoalso damaged 141 factory buildings but no residential housescollapsed, according to Xinhua.

Rescuers from the city’s emergency management, weather, fire, waterworks and health departments, as well as local residents, were sent to the site and as of 10:00 pm (local time) search and rescue work wascompleted, reported the Chinese news agency.

Images and videos on social media show a darkened sky in the mid-afternoon anddebris swirling upward, reported the Associated Press. Additionally, some photos onlineshowed damaged cars and uprooted trees.

The Chinese authorities said that the tornado was of level-three intensity, two points lower than the highest level.

The weather station in Liangtian Village, around 2.8 kilometres from the tornado’s point of occurrence registered a maximum wind gust of 20.6 metres per second, reported Xinhua.

Earlier on Saturday, city authorities had issued warnings of thunderstorms, rainstorms, hailstorms and tornadoes in several parts of Guangzhou.

Record-breaking floods kill four

The tornado also comes after China’s southern Guangdong province recently battled record-breaking floods caused by heavy rains.

At least four people were killed and tens of thousands across several citiesdisplaced after record-breaking flooding hit the region on Friday (Apr 19), reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Authorities in Guangzhou, on Saturday, said that the city has already witnessed the total monthlyrainfall of 455.8mm, which is the highest for April since 1951.

(With inputs from agencies)