Tornado kills 5 in flood-hit southern Chinese city of Guangzhou
- 33 people were also injured when level-three storm hit around 3pm on Saturday, authorities say
- More wet weather on the way for city already drenched in record rainfall
Authorities said the tornado was of level-three intensity, two tiers lower than the highest level of five. An investigation into the damage caused was under way, state news agency Xinhua reported.
In all, 141 factory buildings were damaged, authorities said.
The weather station in Liangtian village in Guangzhou’s Baiyun district, roughly 2.8km (1.7 miles) from the tornado’s “point of occurrence”, registered a maximum wind gust of 20.6 metres per second at around 3pm, Xinhua said.
Record-breaking floods hit China’s Guangdong, killing 4 and displacing thousands
It comes as Guangdong battles record-breaking floods caused by heavy downpours that have left at least four dead and displaced tens of thousands across several cities. At least 10 people have also been reported missing.
Earlier in the day, city authorities issued thunderstorm, rainstorm, hailstorm and tornado warnings in many districts.
Hailstones the size of eggs damaged cars and windows in several parts of the Guangzhou districts of Zengcheng and Panyu.
“The tornado and hailstorms were terrible. I told my parents to stay indoors even though most of their vegetable crops were damaged,” said Qiu Ruifa, a Guangzhou resident whose parents live in a rural area in Conghua district.
The weather forced a slew of flight cancellations at Guangzhou’s airport, one of the country’s busiest.
Stranded passengers posted photos and footage of water pouring into the facility from cracks in the roof, causing severe flooding.
Local authorities said nearly 950 people were relocated and around 30 experts were sent to assess the security of factories in the affected area and surrounding residential buildings.
More rain is forecast for the province over the next five days, with a high risk of heavy downpours, hail and tornadoes.
Guangzhou authorities announced on Saturday that the city’s total rainfall for the month had already reached 455.8mm (17.9 inches), the highest for April since 1951.
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China issues flood warning for ‘once in 50 years’ water levels in Guangdong’s Bei River
Retired teacher Zhu Yinghua said the water was making its way inside buildings.
“Days of heavy rains have caused rainwater to penetrate from the building’s exterior walls to the walls of the bedrooms,” Zhu said.
The downpours have also added uncertainties to the ongoing Canton Fair, the country’s biggest trade exhibition.
The fair, a barometer of China’s exports, was crowded with foreign buyers during its first of three phases between April 15 and 20 but the flow seemed to have slowed in recent days due to the weather, exporters said.
Various parts of the country have been hit by deadly extreme weather in recent years. The eastern province of Jiangxi was battered by intense winds and cloudbursts in March, killing three people. And in September, two tornadoes in the eastern province of Jiangsu killed 10 people.
