5 People Died in a Southern China Tornado That Destroyed Factory Buildings

Beijing: According to official media, a tornado rocked the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Saturday, causing damage to over 140 manufacturing buildings and the deaths of five individuals.

The tornado made landfall in Guangzhou’s Baiyun area at about 3 p.m., according to the China Meteorological Administration. The area, according to the Associated Press, is a large city and a hub for industry close to Hong Kong.

Online videos captured the mid-afternoon sky being obscured by storm clouds and debris whirling about.

According to the official Xinhua News Agency, 141 manufacturing buildings were destroyed and 33 people were wounded.

There were unsubstantiated allegations that another tornado had struck a different Guangzhou district later that afternoon, and there were tornado warnings issued for other areas of the city.

On a formal visit to China earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made her way to Guangzhou. The Canton Fair, a significant export and import exposition that draws customers from all around the globe, was recently held in the city, which was originally known as Canton.

Ten people were killed by two tornadoes in Jiangsu province, eastern China, in September, according to the AP.

In a separate case of harsh weather earlier this month, torrential rain and significant flooding forced the evacuation of over 100,000 people from a province in southern China. This period of very high and extensive rainfall occurred in the province of Guangdong, despite the region’s propensity for floods and heavy rains.