CNN
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A tornado struck Guangzhou, a city of 19 million people in southern China, on Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring 33 others, Chinese state media said.
According to Xinhua news agency, authorities said 141 factory buildings were damaged, but no homes were destroyed. According to the report, preliminary assessments put the tornado’s strength at Level 3, two levels below the maximum level of 5.
Guangzhou, approximately 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Hong Kong; It is the capital of Guangdong province.
A weather observatory in Liangtian Village, Baiyun District, about 2.7 miles from where the tornado occurred, recorded maximum wind speeds of 20.6 meters, Xinhua News Agency said.
The search and rescue operation ended at 10pm local time.
The tornadoes followed days of heavy rain that battered southern China, causing deadly flooding and upending tens of millions of lives as rescuers scrambled to evacuate residents trapped by rising waters. There is a risk that it may cause
Widespread flooding has forced more than 110,000 people to relocate in Guangdong, an economic powerhouse with a population of 127 million people, state media reported, citing the local government.
Earlier this week, state media reported that at least four people had died in flooding in Guangdong province.
Continuous torrential rains have hit the Pearl River Delta, China’s manufacturing hub and one of the country’s most populous regions, since April 16, with four weather stations in Guangdong province reporting recorded record rainfall.
The Pearl River Basin is flooded from April to September every year, but storms have become more intense in recent years as scientists warn the climate crisis will amplify extreme weather events, making them more deadly and more frequent. and facing severe flooding.
Tornadoes don’t occur as often in China as they do in the United States, but they do occur. A 2015 peer-reviewed scientific paper found that China averages less than 100 tornadoes a year, and at least 1,772 people died in tornadoes in the country in the 50 years since 1961.
The China Meteorological Administration has warned that heavy rain and strong storms may continue until the end of this month.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
