Strong winds sucked out three people from their homes in China while they slept

Nanchang, China

Typhoon-like winds sucked out three people from their apartments in southeastern China while they were sleeping. 

At least seven people lost their lives in the violent rain and hailstorms that struck southeastern China. The extreme weather started on March 31 and affected nine cities, including Nanchang and Jiujiang. According to the Jiangxi provincial emergency flood control headquarters, the harsh weather has impacted over 93,000 people in 54 counties. 

Three people, including an 11-year-old boy, fell from a residential building during the storm and died on Sunday, reports said. The strong winds pulled the door-size windows off frames in two apartments in the building in Nanchang. 

The winds reportedly swept the residents from their beds through the gaps. The extreme weather, which started Sunday and continued into Tuesday, damaged dozens of homes, reported AP.

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Authorities are investigating the conditions surrounding the fall of the three victims.

A man named Xu, who lives on the 20th floor of the same building, told the South China Morning Post that the wind also pulled his 64-year-old mother and 11-year-old son out of the apartment. The harsh storm blew out all his living room and bedroom windows. 

Another man, named Wan, lost her 60-year-old wife as the winds ripped out their 11th-floor bedroom window. He said he survived because he slept in a room undamaged by the storm. Later, he discovered that a floor-to-ceiling room window was devastated. 

A viral video showed his wife's bed next to a glass window. Details about how the wind swept Wan's wife out of the building remain unclear. However, Wan later found her body at the base of the building. 

"I am totally at a loss," he said. The assessment of the entire damage is still in progress.

(With inputs from agencies)