A tornado that hit south China's Jiangsu province has reportedly resulted in the death of at least 50 people while dozens of others are said to have been injured.
Buildings were torn down in Yancheng City when the tornado hit it at about 2:30 p.m. local time, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, quoting Xinhua. The area has already seen a fair share of rain and hailstorms.
Reuters quoted a Xinhua report as saying: "Downpours, hail storms and a tornado battered parts of Yancheng city ... causing many houses to topple."
Windspeeds of more than 125 km per hour toppled houses and resulted in several casualties in in Funing county, the SCMP report said, citing China News Services.
Emergency recue operations have reportedly started in the region by the provincial government, the SCMP report said.
It also said, quoting Yancheng City's television stations, that the tornado had damaged telecommunication facilities in a huge section of the city.
According to a Guardian report, China's state broadcaster CCTV "showed people carrying the injured to hospitals, cars and trucks flipped over on their roofs, street light poles snapped in half, and steel electricity pylons crumpled and lying on their side."
The report also said there was no confirmation of casualties from Jiangsu's provincial fire and rescue service, but it had said the storm was accompanied by hail.
