Tornado rips through Shengze, Jiangsu, killing at least 4 people and injuring 149, China

A destructive tornado hit the town of Shengze, China's Jiangsu Province at around 19:00 LT on May 14, 2021, killing 4 people and injuring 149. It was the first of two deadly tornadoes to hit China on May 14 in which at least 12 people lost their lives. More than 420 people were injured.

The tornado toppled factory buildings and damaged electricity infrastructure, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The Suzhou city government, which oversees the town, said in a social media post that four people had died and 149 others had minor injuries.

Jiangsu is prone to tornadoes in the late spring and early summer.

江苏苏州盛泽发生龙卷风行，目前没有听说人员死亡情况。 pic.twitter.com/427jzlw5jC

— Dam 大明 (@Dam9686) May 14, 2021

在苏州的大家要小心啊。 pic.twitter.com/Pkzr3Hdkjr

— Shengyi Wang (@txyyss) May 14, 2021

This was the first of two deadly tornadoes to hit China on May 14.

The second tornado ripped through the city of Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei Province, at around 20:39 LT, killing at least 8 people and leaving 280 injured.

According to local authorities, the tornado ripped through the district of Caidian, destroying 27 houses and damaging 130.

In addition, two tower cranes were toppled and 8 000 m2 (86 100 feet2) of sheds at construction sites as well as trees and electricity poles, leaving 26 600 homes without power.

This is the second extreme weather event to hit the city in just 4 days.

At least 2 people have been killed after a severe thunderstorm hit Wuhan on May 10, 2021, turning day into night.

According to the Wuhan Emergency Management Bureau, parts of the city encountered a level 10 thunderstorm which resulted in the deaths of two workers who were on gondola cleaning windows at Sanyang Road.

The maximum rain intensity in the urban area reached 99.6 mm (3.9 inches) in 1 hour.

Authorities reported the city was also hit by record-breaking wind gusts, which destroyed roofs and windows on many buildings.

Featured image credit: Shengyi Wang @txyyss