Tornados and Floods Cause Devastation in Central China

At least 11 people have died and hundreds more have been injured after multiple tornadoes struck a province in central China, according to state media reports on Tuesday. Thunderstorms hit various areas of eastern Hubei province on Monday night, affecting 14,600 people, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. More than 330 individuals were injured, one person was reported missing, and over 20 houses collapsed while more than 4,800 suffered damage.

An unusual EF2 tornado swept through the city of Huanggang, damaging several buildings. A logistics company and a warehouse complex were severely impacted, with several trucks lifted and moved by winds up to 30 meters (98 feet), as reported by Xinhua.

A video shared by Shanghai Daily appeared to show people on the ground floor of a building shouting as strong winds forced open glass doors, shattering one. Tornadoes are typically observed in southern and coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Jiangsu, according to China Weather News, affiliated with the China Meteorological Administration.

Tornadoes are uncommon in Hubei province, and various factors, including remnants of Tropical Storm Maysak, contributed to those that hit the region on Monday night, meteorologist Wang Xiaoling told the Hubei Daily.

In southern China, authorities reported that four people died in the city of Hengzhou, and eight others were missing as record rains associated with Maysak caused widespread flooding in the Guangxi region, Xinhua reported. Over 53,000 people have been evacuated in Hengzhou, and another 8,000 were evacuated from Binyang County, noted Xinhua. Guangxi issued a red alert, the highest level, for flooding on Tuesday. River levels rose up to 7.5 meters (24 feet) above warning levels, according to Xinhua.

This report was translated from English by an AP editor using generative artificial intelligence.