6 dead, 218 injured after tornado hits Wuhan

WUHAN - Six people have been confirmed dead, and 218 others injured after a tornado on Friday night walloped Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, government sources said.

The tornado, packing winds of 23.9 meters per second, ripped through the Caidian District at 8:39 p.m. Friday, toppling some construction site sheds and snapping a large number of trees.

According to an initial investigation by local authorities Saturday morning, houses of 27 households have collapsed, and those of 130 households were damaged. Two tower cranes and 8,000 square meters of construction site sheds also suffered damage.

The tornado blew down power lines, triggering a power outage that has affected 26,600 households in Wuhan. The local power grid has sent staff to fix the glitches and repair works are still going on.

The municipal government has urged an all-out effort to save lives, assess the losses, and repair water, electricity, gas and communication facilities.

The city has mobilized people to check the safety of public facilities, old residential areas, dilapidated buildings in rural areas and construction sites.

The tornado has also affected the city of Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, causing one death and leaving two others severely injured. It caused power outages and damages to houses in the city's Shengze Township.