Tornado leaves 5 dead, 88 hurt in Shandong

Five person was killed and 88 others injured when a tornado hit Dongming county in Shandong province at around 2:30 pm on Friday, said the county's emergency management bureau.

Caused by severe convective weather, the tornado swept three towns, said the bureau.

The county government initiated emergency response measures by establishing an emergency team comprising several departments, including public security, health, fire and civil affairs, to launch rescue operations. 

Rescue, post-disaster management and site clearance are still underway.

The Shandong Provincial Meteorological Observatory renewed its yellow alert for rainstorms, the second lowest in a four-tier color-coded weather warning system at 4 pm, stating that rainfall is expected to continue in Shandong throughout the Friday night.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn