WATCH: Tornado Wreaks Havoc in Guangzhou

By Lars James Hamer

A tornado hit Taiping village in Guangzhou’s Conghua district at around 7.20pm last night – June 16 – leading to over 5,400 people having their electricity cut off and causing scaffolding to collapse.

Trees were also pulled from the ground and vehicles damaged and destroyed by the twister. 

One witness said, “I saw the tornado swirling on the road and heading towards the metro; the wind was strong, the sky was black and there were flashes of lightning. It was really scary.”

Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage to surrounding areas but, as of press time, no one has been reported injured.  

Emergency response workers, including firefighters and public safety officials, have been dispatched to the area.

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?width=500&height=375&auto=0&vid=n3343tkftty

More images of the damage caused by the tornado:

Images via Weibo@惠州电台

This is not the first time Guangdong has been hit by a tornado; in 2015 Typhoon Mujigae ravaged the province cutting power, water supplies and communications.

Guangdong has been experiencing a prolonged spell of wet weather of late, and this week yellow, amber and red warnings were issued in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. 

READ MORE: Yellow Weather Warnings for Guangzhou Shenzhen

The East Asian rainy season or meiyu (which literally means plum rains) has also begun, and can last all the way into August.

READ MORE: Explainer: The Plum Rain Season of East Asia

[Cover image via Weibo@这里是阆中]

▼For more news, click 'Read more' (阅读原文) below.