China braces itself for more harsh weather after tornado kills 10
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The tornado hit a densely populated area in Suqian on Sept 19, damaging 1,646 homes and destroying acres of crops.
PHOTOS: REUTERS
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BEIJING – Chinese weather officials have stepped up warnings about heavy rain and strong winds in several regions, state media said on Wednesday, a day after a violent tornado wreaked havoc in the eastern province of Jiangsu, killing 10 people.
The latest incident in weeks of destructive and deadly weather has spurred the authorities to call for vigilance against strong winds in coastal areas near the Yellow Sea off Jiangsu.
Tuesday’s tornado was brief but fierce, with social media images showing overturned cars, downed power lines and flying debris, much of which littered the streets of Suqian, a city in the north of Jiangsu.
“I was at the door and witnessed (the force of) the wind, (with) solar energy devices and trees flying in the air,” wrote one user of popular social media platform Weibo. “For those two minutes, I was dumbfounded.”
Broadcaster CCTV said two areas in the province were affected – Suqian and Yancheng. Five people were killed and four were severely injured when the tornado suddenly hit a densely populated area in Suqian at 5.20pm, damaging 1,646 homes and leaving acres of crops devastated.
The tornado then ripped through Yancheng, killing five more people and injuring four others, CCTV said.
Weather warnings also went out on Wednesday for the south-western region of Chongqing, several areas in the south-western province of Guizhou, the southern province of Hunan, the eastern province of Anhui and the central province of Hubei.
Torrential rain recently lashed China’s south-east, resulting in massive evacuations, landslides and deaths in the wake of unrelenting storms brought by the remnants of Typhoon Haikui. REUTERS
