Tornado kills 14, injures 146 in eastern China
(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-07-04 15:36
A tornado swept across eastern China, killing 14
people and injuring 146, media reported on Wednesday, the latest casualties from
bad weather that has devastated parts of the country this summer.
The tornado hit three villages around Tianchang in
Anhui province on Tuesday, destroying more than 100 houses, the Xinhua news
agency said. The bodies of seven people had been recovered from the rubble.
State television showed footage of uprooted trees,
toppled electric poles and a truck blown into a river.
Of the 93 injured, 35 were in serious condition, Xinhua
said. A further 200 people had been evacuated.
Seven
people were killed in Gaoyou city in neighbouring Jiangsu province, the agency
said, adding that 53 were injured.
"Winds and heavy
rain cut off power and telecommunications, ripped off rooftops and uprooted
thousands of trees," a Gaoyou government official was quoted as saying.
The winds at the centre of the tornado reached speeds of 100
kilometres per hour (62 mph), Xinhua said.
Forecasters were now warning of possible floods along the
Huai river, which runs through the region. The upper reaches of the Huai had
already reached critical levels.
Up to Monday, 18
provinces and major cities across China had been hit by floods and accompanying
disasters, with a total of 233 people killed and 118,500 houses destroyed, the
State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on its website
(sfdh.chinawater.com.cn).
The office warned that China was
entering the main flood season and must brace for surging waters along major
rivers.
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