Tornadoes kill 7, injure 239 in China

Beijing, May 15: Two powerful tornadoes walloped the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Suzhou, killing at least seven people and injuring 239 others, state-media reported on Saturday.

Six people were killed and 218 others injured after a tornado, packing winds of 23.9 meters per second, ripped through the Caidian District of Wuhan at 8:39 p.m on Friday, toppling some construction site sheds and snapping a large number of trees, the Xinhua news agency reported.

According to an initial investigation by local authorities on Saturday morning, 27 houses collapsed. Two tower cranes and 8,000 square meters of construction site sheds also were damaged.

Another tornado hit Shengze Town, under the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province in which one person was killed and 21 others injured.

The tornado around 7 p.m. on Friday also damaged electricity facilities and toppled several factory buildings, the Xinhua report said.

The tornados came as a surprise to the locals as it is quite rare in the region.