At least 10 dead as tornado wreaks havoc in China, officials issue warning

Chinese weather authorities have issued warnings amid heavy rains and strong winds across several regions, state media reported on Wednesday (Sept 20).

The warning comes a day after a violent tornado wreaked havoc in the eastern province of Jiangsu, claiming 10lives and injuring several others, AFP reported.

According to "preliminary statistics," the tornado has affected over 5,500 people, damaged 137 houses and forced hundreds of people to relocate to a safer region.

News agency Reuters citing Chinese state media CCTV, reported that the tornado first hit parts of Suqian City in the province around 5:20 pm on Tuesday (Sept 19).

Several videos were shared on X showing cars that had been tossed and debris swirling in the air above several high-storeybuildings.

A user wrote, "Large, deadly tornado in Suqian, Jiangsu Province this afternoon. Tornado likely moved directly through downtown, massive injuries and some fatalities reported."

One user onthe popular Chinese social media platform Weibo wrote, "I was at the door and witnessed the wind, solar energy devices, and trees flying in the air. For those two minutes, I was dumbfounded."

Additionally, CCTV reported that four people were injured in addition to the fatalities reported, when the tornado suddenly hit the densely populated city.

These weather warnings were also issued for the southwestern region of Chongqing, Guizhou, southern Hunan, eastern Anhui and central Hubei.

Tornados are quite rare in China but have caused several deaths in the Jiangsu province in the past few years.In 2022, one person was killed by a tornado.

In 2021, four people were killed in Jiangsu's tornado, while eight were reported dead on the same day in Wuhan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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