Society

Storms wreck havoc in Xinjiang

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-17 14:06

URUMQI - Strong gales, hailstorms and rain swept areas of northwest China's Xinjiang region, forcing the relocation of 2,380 people and killing more than 10,000 livestock, authorities said.

No casualties were reported in the storms, which hit Bayingolin and Aksu from Friday to Sunday, Dang Xincheng, a spokesman of Xinjiang flood-control and drought relief headquarters said Thursday.

The weather destroyed 1,350 homes in Bayingolin Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture, said a statement from the prefecture's civil affairs department.

More than 20 percent -- 75,300 hectares -- of crops and other agricultural plants were damaged in Bayingolin and neighboring Aksu City, and 31,450 hectares were destroyed, agricultural authorities of the two areas said.

Wind speeds reached 117 km per hour and temperatures dropped by 20 degrees Celsius with hail, rain, snow and frost in some areas.