Two tornadoes wrought devastation in central China’s Hubei province, state media said on Tuesday, killing at least eight people as winds of up to 149 kph (92.58 mph) overturned cars and ripped roofs from buildings, leaving trails of mangled metal in their wake.
Over four hours on Monday evening, gales measuring level 13 on the extended Beaufort wind force scale swept over the cities of Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou and Xianning, Xinhua reported, citing Hubei’s emergency management authorities.
At least one person was still missing, the report added.
Tornadoes are extremely rare in Hubei, a major industrial, automotive manufacturing, and technology hub, Wang Xiaoling, an expert at the provincial meteorological bureau, told Hubei Daily. The last tornado in the province was in May 2021.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, is becoming increasingly exposed to extreme weather events that experts attribute to climate change. Torrential rain, scorching summer heat and gale-force winds cause tens of billions of dollars in economic losses annually, disrupting industry and destroying crops.
China rocked by natural disasters, typhoons, tornadoes, mudslides
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed rescue workers in Huanggang looking at a badly damaged truck cab that appeared to have been shredded by bits of corrugated steel torn from the roof of a nearby building. Another clip showed a wrecked white car that had been blown into a lamppost that was also surrounded by sheets of twisted steel.
The National Meteorological Center said northeastern Hubei should brace for further heavy to torrential rain on Tuesday, as well as parts of the southwestern Guangxi region, the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan, and the more northerly Jilin, Shandong and Liaoning provinces, among other areas.
Guangxi region, still reeling from Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least four people in its capital city Nanning over the past few days, should prepare for extremely heavy rain of up to 260 mm (10 inches) over the next 24 hours, which could trigger landslides, the forecast added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to rescue those affected by the floods, CCTV reported on Tuesday.
China also faces Super Typhoon Bavi, which is tracking across the Pacific towards Taiwan and forecast to make landfall along China’s eastern coast later this week. The storm packed winds of up to 180 mph as it swept across Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Rota on Monday.
Landslide in China’s Gansu province, 16 remain trapped
Sixteen people remain buried in a mountainous county in China’s western province of Gansu after a landslide on Tuesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
A total of 33 people were initially trapped, with 17 now “successfully rescued,” CCTV said.
Local authorities are making every effort to rescue those affected in a village in Tanchang county, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The cause of the landslide remains unclear.
The mountainous region with steep valleys and crisscrossing rivers is prone to natural disasters including flash floods and landslides, especially during the rainy seasons.
Local government websites show multiple recorded landslides in recent years following heavy rain. Mudslides in August 2020 killed at least five people and displaced more than 72,000, while causing 8.2 billion yuan ($1.21 billion) in damage.
In 2010, a huge mudslide in nearby Zhouqu triggered by intense rain killed over 1500 people, with more than 200 people unaccounted for, according to the official tally.
