File Photo:IC

 

Eleven people were killed and 102 were injured by extreme weather Friday night in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu Province, when strong winds during a thunderstorm caused the collapse of buildings, trees, and blew people into the river.

The unusual extreme weather swept the Yangtze delta late Friday night with Nantong being one of the hardest-hit cities. 

By 8 am on Saturday, the extreme weather has affected 13,688 people in several cities in Jiangsu, causing direct economic loss of over 16.4 million yuan ($2.53 million).

In Nantong, wind speed reached 45.4 meters per second and some regions saw hailstorms with a diameter of up to 3 centimeters. In addition, 3,050 were evacuated as their homes collapsed or severely damaged.

Wu Zhenglong, governor of Jiangsu Province, inspected the provincial emergency response center and checked the disaster relief work on Saturday morning.

A viral video on social media showed a plane parking at the Nantong airport swirled itself due to the strong wind. Airport staff later told the media that there were no injuries or property losses. 

A fishing ship overturned due to the strong wind, causing 11 to drop into the water. Among the sailors, two were rescued and nine are still under search. 

Electricity has been restored as of press time and collapsed trees, damaged vehicles and other objects, such as blown-away windows and roof materials, are being cleared. 

The extreme weather also affected nearby cities including Shaoxing and Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province. Shanghai issued wind, thunderstorm and hailstorm warnings on Friday afternoon to remind people to avoid staying outdoors during the extreme weather. 

Global Times