Tornado kills five people and injures 33 in southern China

A level three tornado hit the city of Guangzhou, in southern China, and left at least five people dead and 33 injured this Saturday (27). According to the Xinhua news agency, 141 commercial buildings had their structures compromised, but no residential buildings collapsed.

Tornadoes in China Too!: Large tornado moved into Guangzhou metropolitan hrs ago, a city holding more than 10 million people. pic.twitter.com/7tDgtEZyPb

— High Priority News (@HPNnetwork) April 28, 2024

^{Video shows tornado in the city of Guangzhou (Video: reproduction/X/@HPnetwork)}

According to the Xinhua news agency, it was around 3 pm (local time) when gusts of winds of up to 20.6 meters per second hit the region. Rescue teams were immediately sent to the scene at 10pm, search and rescue operations had already ended.

Most populous province in China

Located about 130 kilometers from Hong Kong, the country's capital, Guangzhou is home to 19 million people. The city is the capital of Guangdong province, considered the industrial heart of China, where thousands of factories operate to feed the country's export sector.

Storms reach record levels

This Saturday's phenomenon did not happen in isolation; For days, the Guangdong region had been suffering from rains and floods. With the rise in water levels, more than 110,000 residents were displaced to safe areas. Earlier this week, at least four people died in the floods.

Generally, the rainy season in the region begins between May and June. This year, however, the storms arrived early and reached record levels. According to state media, the accumulated rainfall is already more than double the average expected for the month of April.

^{Submerged streets in Guangdong province (Photo: reproduction/aljazeera/AFP)}

According to information from state media, these were the worst floods recorded in some parts of the province since the 1950s. Forecasts from the China Meteorological Agency indicate heavy rains and storms until the end of the month.

Scientists have warned that with the climate crisis, floods will become increasingly frequent and severe. Just this week, a report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed that Asia is the continent most affected by climate change.

Featured photo: tornado caused destruction in the city of Guangzhou (Reproduction: CNS/AFP/MetSul Meteorologia)