Storms, tornado leave 98 dead

At least 98 people were killed and nearly 800 injured in disasters caused by extreme weather conditions, including a tornado, in Jiangsu province on Thursday.

Jiangsu governor Shi Taifeng made the announcement at a session of provincial political advisors in Jiangsu on Friday morning. Shi also asked for silence at the meeting for those dead in the disasters.

Buildings collapsed as thunder, lightning, rainstorms, hailstorms and the tornado struck counties and villages in the city of Yancheng at about 2:30 pm.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang instructed authorities to make every effort to rescue the injured and do everything possible to minimize casualties.

They also called for proper handling of the aftermath, as well as intensified meteorological monitoring and geological disaster assessment.

A State Council work group headed by Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs Dou Yupei rushed to Yancheng. The ministry has sent relief materials, including more than 1,000 tents and 2,000 folding beds, to the affected areas.

Extreme weather conditions were reported in several townships in Funing and Sheyang counties in the suburbs of Yancheng.

Gales of 125 kilometers per hour battered several outer townships in Funing county, while in Sheyang, the winds reached 100 km per hour.

Some regions reported blackouts and interruptions to communications.

"We've never witnessed such a disaster or severe weather conditions," said Qiao Zonghua, a media official at the Yancheng government. He said the tornado struck densely populated areas.

Witnesses said they saw huge trees falling and villages leveled. Victims were dragged from the ruins of their homes and taken to hospitals.

"I heard the gales and ran upstairs to shut the windows," said Xie Litian, 62, from Donggou township in Funing county. "I had hardly reached the top of the stairs when I heard a boom and saw the entire wall with the windows in it torn away."

As he ran downstairs, the roof collapsed. When the gales subsided and Xie escaped to safety, all the other houses in the neighborhood had disappeared.

Xie said he saw utility poles uprooted and his tractors blown away.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhuzhe@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/24/2016 page1)