Tornado kills five people, injures 33 in Guangzhou

At least five people were killed and 33 others injured when a tornado struck Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Saturday.

All the injured persons who were reported in the city's Baiyun district were promptly sent to the hospital for treatment, according to a statement released by Baiyun district government on Saturday night.

The search and rescue work has been basically completed as of Saturday night, it said.

The tornado, which was accompanied by downpours, thunder and lightning, also destroyed and damaged 141 factory and residential houses in the district, which was hardest hit by the extreme weather in the southern metropolis, the statement said.

Southern Power Grid sent more than 300 emergency repair personnel, 45 vehicles, five equipped with laser cleaning devices and four sets of large lighting equipment to help repair the damaged electrical equipment.

Meanwhile, the company also arranged for 15 generator cars to provide temporary power support and quickly restore power to most affected users through power transfer and related temporary measures.

The Zhongluotan and Taihe areas suffered from severe blackout after they were hit by thunderstorms, affecting the power supply to many users in the two areas on Saturday afternoon, said the statement.

A 76-year-old resident surnamed Zhu in Zhongluotan said he had never seen such a severe tornado disaster before.

Many tin-roofed houses were overturned by the tornado and the strong winds, he added.

The city's electricity supply bureau is joining hands with relevant departments to make every effort to carry out emergency repairs of faulty equipment to ensure electricity supply for residents and society, the statement said.

And relevant departments in Baiyun district are also making every effort to properly resettle the production and life of the affected residents, it said.

Guangzhou city government has also established six working groups to initiate emergency response and mobilize medical, public security, traffic police, fire protection, housing and construction departments, to carry out full coverage investigation and rescue in the entire city that has a population of more than 18 million.

The city's Huangpu, Panyu, Tianhe, Conghua, Nansha, Zengcheng and Huadu districts were also hit by the tornado, hailstones, storm, thunder and lightning on Saturday.

The meteorological department has warned the extreme weather in Guangzhou would continue on Sunday and Monday.