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Beijing: At least five people were killed and 33 others were injured when a tornado struck Guangzhou in southern China on Saturday, CNN reported, citing Chinese state media. According to local officials, at least 141 factory buildings were damaged, but no residential houses were destroyed. The city of 19 million people is facing a level three intensity tornado, two less than the highest level five.
A weather station in Liangtian village in Baiyun district, about 1.7 miles from where the tornado struck, recorded a maximum wind gust of 20.6 meters per second, according to CNN citing Xinhua. The search and rescue operation was over by 10 pm local time.
The tornado followed days of heavy rain across southern China, causing deadly flooding and putting millions of lives at risk as rescue workers rushed to rescue residents trapped in rising waters.
Guangdong province, an economic powerhouse of 127 million people, has seen massive flooding that has forced more than 110,000 people to relocate, state media reported, citing the local government.
Earlier this week, state media reported that at least four people had died in flooding in Guangdong.
As persistent torrential rains since April 16 have hit the Pearl River Delta, China's manufacturing heartland and one of the country's most populous regions, four weather stations in Guangdong recorded record rainfall for April, CNN reports. Is.
In particular, the Pearl River Basin is subject to annual flooding from April to September, but the region has suffered more intense rainfall and severe flooding in recent years as scientists warn that the climate crisis will increase extreme weather. , causing it to be fatal more often.
Although tornadoes in China do not occur as frequently as they do in the United States, they do occur.
A 2015 peer-reviewed scientific article found that China experiences an average of less than 100 tornadoes per year and that at least 1,772 people have been killed by tornadoes in the country in the 50 years since 1961.
Additionally, the China Meteorological Agency has warned that heavy rains and strong storms will continue until the end of the month, CNN reported.