“INTENSE WINDS”
Thunderstorms and gale-force winds killed another 11 people and injured 331 in the central province of Hubei, and tornadoes were reported elsewhere late on Monday, state news agency Xinhua said.
One person is missing in Hubei, Xinhua said, adding that 4,800 houses were damaged and 22 more had collapsed.
A man surnamed Wang told local media that his brother-in-law, surnamed Zhang, had been “sucked out” of his home in Hubei’s Huanggang city by the strong winds, and was found unconscious outside his apartment complex, breathing only faintly.
“Wall cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables and chairs vanished in an instant. It was as if the entire building had been hollowed out,” Wang told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
Xi said on Tuesday that rescuers should “go all out” in organising emergency operations, CCTV reported.
Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience intense rainfall while others bake in scorching heat.
Parts of Guangxi’s coastal and eastern regions, as well as southwestern Guangdong, will continue to be hit by heavy rain on Wednesday, Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying said on Tuesday.
Flood peaks “exceeding the warning water level” by more than six metres are expected at the Guigang Hydrological Station in Guangxi on Tuesday evening, Li said.
“Due to the impact of persistent heavy rainfall and the prolonged passage of floodwaters at high levels, the safety of reservoirs and embankments in the affected areas faces a severe test,” he said.
