JOIN USWinds as strong as 164 km per hour, accompanied by hail and lashing rain, battered Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing and Dongguan cities in Guangdong Province yesterday, a spokesman with the province's flood control headquarters said.
The storms have affected over 3,200 people so far, he said, adding at least 45 houses collapsed in the storms. Most of the victims were killed when the strong winds brought down walls and other structures. Falling debris also claimed several lives, the Xinhua news agency reported.
As of today morning, the storms have swept over 1,087 hectares of farmland and caused about nearly 96 million yuan (USD 14.7 million) in direct economic losses, according to the provincial civil affairs department which dispatched a team to disaster-affected areas to direct relief work.
Local government in Guangdong has initiated emergency plans to move injured victims to hospitals, provide aid to elderly residents and examine damaged buildings to evaluate their condition.