5 killed, 4 severely injured after tornado hits East China's Jiangsu

NANJING -- Five people were killed and four others were severely injured after a tornado hit two townships in East China's Jiangsu province on Tuesday, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred around 5 pm in Daxing township and Nancai township in the city of Suqian. An initial investigation showed that 5,512 people were affected, homes of 1,646 households were generally damaged, and homes of 137 households collapsed. A total of 41.8 hectares of crops were damaged, and 405 people were temporarily relocated to safe places, according to the city's emergency management department.

Local government departments had rushed to the site of the accident to deal with the aftermath. The injured are being treated in hospital.