A tornado hit a town in eastern China, leading to five fatalities and nearly 100 injuries, as reported by CNN on Saturday, citing Xinhua news agency. The storm caused extensive damage, including roofs being ripped off houses and trees being uprooted, with debris scattered widely. Video footage of the incident circulated on social media, highlighting the scale of destruction.
The Dongming County Emergency Management Bureau stated, “Severe convective weather caused a tornado,” and mentioned that the local government had set up a command center and initiated emergency response operations.
According to CNN, citing Xinhua news agency, the tornado in Caiyuan, Shangdong Province, damaged 2,820 homes.
The Bureau added that emergency services are currently engaged in “post-disaster disposal and on-site clean-up.”
Tornadoes are relatively uncommon in China, averaging fewer than 100 annually, yet they can cause substantial damage. Researchers indicate that tornadoes have taken the lives of at least 1,772 people in the country since 1961. Recently, a tornado hit Guangzhou, resulting in the deaths of five people and injuring 33 others, according to Chinese state media. Earlier this month, the China Meteorological Administration published its annual ‘Blue Book’ on the nation’s climate change status.
The report noted that China had its warmest year since 1901 and highlighted that “extreme weather and climate events tend to be more frequent and severe.”
Meanwhile, different regions of China are contending with severe weather conditions. In the northern areas, a severe drought and unprecedented high temperatures are causing extensive damage, while in the southern regions, heavy rainfall is resulting in floods and inundations.