Six killed as tornado hits Chinese province of Liaoning

This article is more than 12 months old

Jul 05, 2019 06:00 am

SHANGHAI: A tornado swept through the north-eastern Chinese province of Liaoning on Wednesday, killing six and injuring 190, amid a series of "extreme" weather events that government forecasters have linked to climate change.

The tornado damaged nearly 3,600 homes and affected more than 9,900 residents in Kaiyuan, a city of around half a million people, according to China Central Television.

Footage posted by CCTV on Weibo shows dozens of flattened buildings in an economic development zone in Kaiyuan.

The country's weather bureau on Tuesday said that climate change could cause more extreme weather events, following floods, drought and extreme high temperatures in some regions this year.

It said rainfall had broken records in some areas and that as many as 40 weather stations registered their hottest temperatures ever this year.

The northern Chinese province of Hebei issued an extreme heat "red alert" yesterday, with temperatures set to soar beyond 40 deg C in its major cities, the local government said. - REUTERS