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Destructive tornado rips through Wuhan, killing 8 people and injuring 280, China

ByTeo Blašković
wuhan-tornado-china-may-14-2021-casualties-damage

Image credit: CGTN

A destructive tornado ripped through the city of Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei Province, at around 20:39 LT on Friday, May 14, 2021, killing at least 8 people and leaving 280 injured. This is the second extreme weather event to hit the city in just 4 days. Another tornado hit the city of Shengze on May 14, killing 4 people and injuring 149​.

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 the city 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.

"I've grown up in Wuhan and I've never seen anything like it," one Wuhan resident said early Saturday, May 15. "There's been so much extreme weather recently."

Another destructive tornado hit the town of Shengze, in the Suzhou area of Jiangsu Province at around 19:00 LT on May 14, killing 4 people and injuring 149. Shengze is about 400 km (250 miles) east of Wuhan.

The tornado destroyed several factory buildings and damaged electricity facilities.

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

Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.

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