Seven dead, 93 injured in east China tornado

BEIJING: At least seven people were confirmed dead and 93 others injured when a tornado ripped through an east Chinese city, local officials said on Wednesday.

Officials are still calculating the damage to Tianchang City in east China's Anhui Province, where a tornado packing winds of 100 kilometres per hour destroyed more than 100 homes and forced the evacuation of at least 200 people in three villages on Tuesday.

The bodies of seven people, including three from Renhe Township and four from Qinlan Township, were found in the debris of collapsed buildings and 35 were seriously injured, the provincial disaster relief office said.

All the injured villagers were being treated at local hospitals, Xinhua news agency reported.

Vice provincial governor Zhao Shucong led a relief team to Tianchang this morning, promising relief funds, materials and medical assistance.

Many Chinese provinces have reported disastrous weather in recent weeks, when flooding hit central and southern China while droughts persisted in the north.

By Monday, floods had caused 233 deaths and destroyed 118,500 houses in 18 areas, while droughts in the north had left nearly 7.4 million people short of drinking water, the state flood and drought prevention headquarters said.