Photo taken on June 24, 2016 shows a damaged plant in Funing County, Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua photo/Ding Ting)
NANJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- A total of 98 people were killed after severe storms in several towns in east China's Jiangsu Province on Thursday, local rescue headquarters said on Friday.
About 846 people sustained injuries, 200 of whom were seriously wounded, it said. More than 8,600 houses, two elementary schools and eight factory buildings were damaged in the counties of Funing and Sheyang, and parts of Yancheng City along the eastern coast of China.
Villagers search for their belongings at the debris in Beichen Village of Funing County, Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 24, 2016. (Xinhua photo/Ding Ting)
Intense downpours, hailstorms and a tornado battered parts of the counties at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, destroying buildings, trees, vehicles and power lines. Gales of up to 125 km per hour battered several outer townships of Funing County, while in Sheyang, the winds reached 100 km per hour.
"The damage is terrible, I have not seen anything like this in years," said Zhou Xiang, head of Jiangsu fire corps and director of the rescue headquarters.
"The sudden tornado caught people completely off guard, resulting in a large number of deaths," he said. Most houses in the storm-hit area are low-rise brick homes, they were never built to withstand extremely powerful winds, he said.
Many deaths and injuries were caused by fallen power lines and pylons, he added.
An aerial photo taken by a drone on June 24, 2016 shows damaged houses in Danping Village of Chenliang Township of Funing County in Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua photo/Han Yuqing)
More than 1,300 police officers and 1,200 fire fighters have been called in for the rescue mission and providing help to displaced residents. At least 100 people were pulled out of the rubble, Zhou said.
The storm also destroyed a 40,000-square-meter solar panel factory,which is partly owned by the GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd.
"There are still hazardous chemicals, including ammonium gas and silane, at the factory. Currently, they have been contained and pose no risk to the public," said Zhou.
An aerial photo taken by a drone on June 24, 2016 shows damaged houses in Beichen Village of Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua photo/Li Xiang)
"WORST DAY OF MY LIFE"
Xie Litian lives in Donggou township at Funing County. The 62-year-old told Xinhua that when the gales came, it was like "the end of the world".
"I heard the gales and ran upstairs to shut the windows. I had hardly reached the top of the stairs when I heard a boom and saw the entire wall torn away," he said.
Villagers search for their belongings at the debris in Beichen Village of Funing County, Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 24, 2016. (Xinhua photo/Ding Ting)
As he ran downstairs, the roof collapsed. When the gales subsided and he managed to escape, all the other houses in the neighborhood were gone. At least three villagers he knew were dead. "This is the worst day of my life," he said.
Local people used Wechat social media to offer help. Xiang Shanfeng, a 31-year-old crane driver from Funing County, posted his phone number on Wechat and offered to help the rescue team with his crane. He helped pull dozens of people out of the rubble over the past seven hours.
A villager searches for his belongings at the debris in Beichen Village of Funing County, Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 24, 2016. (Xinhua photo/Ding Ting)
ALL-OUT RESCUE
President Xi Jinping, who is in Uzbekistan for a state visit and to attend a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, has ordered all-out rescue efforts and the prioritization of life-saving measures.
Authorities must make their utmost efforts to reduce casualties and facilitate resettlement of those affected by the extreme weather, he said. They must also strengthen meteorological monitoring and geological disaster assessment.
Premier Li Keqiang also ordered authorities to step up the search and rescue work and medical treatment for the injured.
A rescuer searches for the survivors in Beichen Village of Funing County, Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 24, 2016. (Xinhua photo/Han Yuqing)
Yancheng City has activated its highest response system following the extreme weather.
Over 503 base stations and 235 kilometers of cables were damaged, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It sent emergency workers to repair the damaged telecommunication and power lines.
Rescuers search for the survivors in Danping Village of Funing County, Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 24, 2016. (Xinhua photo/Li Xiang)
The Ministry of Civil Affairs have sent emergency supplies, including 1,000 tents, to the disaster-hit area.
Tornados occasionally hit eastern and southern China during the summer, but rarely result in the scale of damage like the one in Yancheng. A similar disaster hit the city in March 1966.
